Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

I can understand what the Taoiseach is saying in terms of formal guidelines but there is a relationship between Government and RTE as the State broadcasting service. The Government appoints its authority and Government is primarily responsible for the introduction of legislation under which it operates. Government is responsible for the issue of the licence fee and the level of it. This is a relationship where care needs to be taken to have a dividing line between that relationship between the role of the Government and that of RTE as a State body which ultimately reports to a Department and a Minister. To maintain that distinction and the kind of day-to-day contact that will inevitably occur between the Government press secretary and programme makers within the station is a distinction that the Government needs to ensure it honours, lest there should be any suggestion that the Government is exercising any undue influence on RTE and on what it might be broadcasting.

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