Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)

I have given the figure available to me in respect of additional An Post direct sales in that year. Perhaps the increase can be partly accounted for by the increase in the number of social welfare recipients. Some properties which were purchased are not being lived in. We have to investigate and pursue the extent to which evasion is taking place in that context. That is why the co-ordinating body has been established.

Deputy McManus also raised the secondary issue of the possible extension of the licensing system to computers and mobile handsets. Such devices will have increasing broadcast capability as streaming access becomes more widespread. A difficulty arises when one has to decide at what point one changes one's licensing system in recognition of the evolution that is taking place. One needs to ensure one does not lose much of the revenue one currently receives. I will refer to two interesting studies which have been undertaken in this regard. The UK Government has examined this matter in great detail. It has decided that the point at which such a switchover is justified has not yet been reached. We came to the same conclusion when we were developing the Broadcasting Bill 2008. I was interested to note the projections for the broadcasting area that were outlined in a report on international media developments that was produced by PricewaterhouseCoopers. The report found that the steady evolution of the many-to-many broadcasting environment will turn into increasingly rapid growth over a five-year time horizon. It predicted that new Internet and other broadcasting systems will be used to deliver computer broadcast services. The international analysis to which I refer suggested that the traditional broadcasting format, whereby a small number of broadcasters provide services to a large population, will continue to be the dominant broadcasting mode over the next five years.

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