Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)

I acknowledge that the Minister has tried to do something unprecedented in including the Oireachtas committee on deliberations regarding appointments. That is welcome but I share the view of Deputy Coveney that the approach adopted is second best. We must have a rigorous system of accountability for Government appointments. The Minister's party has found, to its cost, that the existing system can lead to unexpected perils such as what happened to the Dublin Docklands Development Authority. That could have been avoided had there been a scrutiny process as is the norm in more progressive parliaments. The Minister has been cautious and I am not sure how productive this process will be. We will play our part but it is disappointing he did not have the confidence to do it in a way that would enable the Oireachtas committee to have a real job of accountability and scrutiny.

I agree with Deputy Coveney in respect of the RTE board. That was inexcusable. When I discovered what was going on I was genuinely shocked. In statutory terms, it was unacceptable but in regard to ensuring our national broadcaster had a good strong management structure, leaving it without a board for so long either showed inexperience from the Minister or lack of consideration of the importance of RTE. It may have been lethargy. Will the Minister give us an explanation as it is remarkable that it would reach the point where RTE would have been unable to continue to operate with regard to annual reports etc. because the Government had not bothered to establish a board? It would be worth knowing what went on that led to such a delay.

Amendment No. 16, which I put down, relates to including at least one person with specific expertise. It relates to matters pertaining to disability and aging but also broadcasting and digital media technologies. I understand where the Minister is coming from when he says he does not want representative people on boards but I ask him to make an exception to that rule. Yesterday we were given a presentation in an Oireachtas committee by the umbrella organisation promoting the right to access to television and radio by people with disability. It went right across the board and involved Age Action Ireland, representatives of people who are deaf and blind etc. It was a very professional presentation.

It seemed there should be a special status accorded to people with a disability and older people. For them, broadcasting of radio and television has particular significance and being unable to access television or radio is a particular punishment. We must consider the matter seriously because if we simply say that such issues are important and look to encourage broadcasters to play their part, if the resources are not there the result will be the same as what happened with the diaspora channel. Work was done in this House to ensure access to Irish broadcasting by our diaspora and everybody agreed on it. The Government committed to this and it was put into law but now RTE does not have the required money to do anything about it. This can happen very easily as good intentions fall by the wayside.

I was very impressed with yesterday's presentation and I urge the Minister, if he has not done so already, to read about the practical approach presented by the disability groups. Even if he does not accept my amendment he should ensure that somebody is in place who is not just representing the disability constituency because that is not enough. We must have somebody who understands the constituency, represents the people's needs and also has expertise in the area of digital technology and broadcasting. All elements are required.

There are considerations regarding the equipment people have and whether they can use it or if it is accessible. One must consider how it is possible for an elderly or disabled person to access television, what happens with DTT transfers and whether people are to be left out of the loop because their televisions are too old. These are the kind of issues that must be concentrated on all the way through the technological changes.

I was struck by the fact that Britain's National Health Service, NHS, has a dedicated service for people who may be ill or elderly and who would normally go to their doctor or go to hospital for advice or attention. The NHS is using broadcasting to bring information to people so that there is a saving, in effect, on doctor calls or visits to the surgery as people can access the information through their television or radio. That is the kind of potential which exists for people at a disadvantage but that potential must be understood.

I urge the Minister to accept the amendment as this sector is particularly reliant on broadcasting and its needs should be at the highest level to ensure they are met. Otherwise we will end up with lip service that does not deliver in terms of meeting the needs of people with disability and older people.

See this speech in context