Chris Andrews (Dublin South East, Fianna Fail)

I hope it will have a large audience.

Although "Oireachtas Report" is a high quality production, it is shown at such a late hour that only insomniacs and political anoraks watch it. People are sometimes right to accuse Members of living in a bubble, especially if we believe many people watch "Oireachtas Report". The programme should be moved to a slot earlier in the evening or presented as an item in the afternoon schedule.

Many people would be interested in watching "Oireachtas Report". For this reason, its remit should be extended to include regular rather than occasional coverage of proceedings in the European Parliament. Deputy Coveney will understand better than most of us that drawing attention to European issues is a difficult task, particularly in the wake of the difficulties we experienced with coverage of the Lisbon treaty campaign. It is important that proceedings in the European Parliament are given greater coverage. Given that news programmes feature country round-ups, why is it not possible to broadcast a summary of proceedings in the Oireachtas or European Parliament each evening?

We have not used up all available resources to maximise the connection between the Houses and members of the public. As the resounding success of recent open days showed, many people have a keen interest in the work of the House. Public interest will not increase overnight but over time and in incremental steps. The Oireachtas channel is a step too far at this point. It would be akin to fitting an ashtray to a motorbike in that it would look great but would not be practical.

On the establishment of an Irish film channel, I am not a great fan of television. As a radio person who does not watch much television, I may be biased. Nevertheless, the Bill will make a difference in this regard and it is good to examine all the options available to us.

I share other speakers' concern about the ban on advertisements for religious vocations. A large number of people find comfort and solace in religion. During the summer I was fortunate to be able to travel to Gambia in western Africa with Voluntary Service Overseas where I met a Holy Ghost Father from Blackrock, Bishop Bobby Ellison. He has spent more than 40 years there, quietly, gently and efficiently getting on with making a difference in people's lives. Gambia and other countries in Africa have gone through a great deal of turmoil but through all that the Holy Ghost Fathers and Bishop Ellison, in his work, have made a positive difference. Bishop Ellison's work has been a cornerstone on which improvements have been made within Gambian society. He has made an incredible contribution to that society. It is amazing that an order such as the Holy Ghost Fathers cannot advertise on television for religious vocations. The members of the order get on with their work. They are quiet, non-intrusive and constructive in the work that they do in Africa and elsewhere across the globe, work of which we should be proud.

However, when it comes to Ireland, people here consider we have become a modern society and television advertisements for religious vocations are old-fashioned. Deputy Higgins made the comment that perhaps he is part of that old valued world. The banning of advertisements for religious vocations is a backward and retrograde step and such advertising should be permitted in the context of this Bill.

The Minister has a chance to break the cosy cartel that appears to operate in broadcasting media. I very much welcome his decision, for the first time in the history of the State, to facilitate an Oireachtas committee, the Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, to nominate four members to the board of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland and four members each to the boards of RTE and TG4. That is a positive move because it provides a link between the work of this House and the committee with the broadcasting sector. Many people may criticise the committees and say that they do not do this or that, but this is a visionary move by the Minister to empower a committee with a degree of influence and a central role in the decision-making process. His decision to allow the committees appoint such members is positive.

I ask that he takes the lead in such board appointments and in the appointment of members to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. I would like him to set an example by appointing not the usual suspects but people who will challenge us. I do not mean that they would agree with everything we say but that they would challenge us in a positive way and stimulate debate within the broadcasting sector. There is, in many ways, a lack of debate within the sector. By appointing people who would be challenging, that would have an impact on the ongoing development of this process, namely, the change the Minister is seeing through.

I would like the Minister to appoint ordinary people from around the country. We all know and meet people through our day to day work who would make ideal members of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, but we know that they would never be appointed to it. However, I would like people who work within the community or are involved in community groups or industry and know people's views on various issues to be considered in this respect. Referring to the Lisbon treaty, many people within the broadcasting sector were detached from the views of ordinary people. That was reflected in the coverage of that debate and the way issues were handled, but I acknowledge other issues affected the type of coverage it received.

However, there is a group in society who are detached from the views of the vast large majority of people on various issues. That group lives in a bubble and, therefore, it is important that members who will challenge issues are appointed to these boards. I refer to people such as Senator Ronan Mullen and David Quinn, with whom I disagree on many issues. They would challenge views and create good debate, and that is what we need. We need people who will challenge us, the establishment and cosy cartel in society. There is a segment in society who look down on our traditional values and on people who hold values that are not considered cool, trendy and modern. We need to not look down on them but to engage and debate with them.

I hope the Minister will set an example in his selection of members and ensure that this Bill will work as well in practice as it does in theory. In theory, this is a good Bill and it will make a big difference to the broadcasting sector and to society, but it must also work in practice. I hope the Minister, in his appointments, will make this Bill work in practice.

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