Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)

I welcome the changes the Minister is making. It must be acknowledged that he has listened to the Opposition and has made a good decision in the context of extending the period of a licence. It seemed particularly unfair that in circumstances where the incumbent had no competitor, the period was limited to four years. Like Deputy Coveney, I welcome the extension from four to six years and I will also withdraw my amendment in that regard. The extension to six years represents a good development.

A great many questions have arisen in respect of digital radio. Will the Minister outline the extent to which it has taken off or indicate the number of digital radios have been acquired by citizens? What incentives have been put in place to encourage commercial radio broadcasters to spend money providing digital audio broadcasting, DAB, services? Will the Minister indicate what is the current position? When one considers what has happened in respect of digital terrestrial television, DTT, it is clear that a major problem has arisen following the withdrawal of the Boxer consortium. We are all probably guilty of engaging in hyperbole in respect of the creation of a digital Ireland. However, the position, as it stands, is not encouraging. Perhaps the Minister might outline the progress that has been made in respect of DAB.

The Minister is, by means of amendment No. 25, inserting in the Bill an additional subsection relating to contracts. I do not have a difficulty in this regard and I am glad community radio is being treated as a special case. However, it would have been no harm to have included another subsection dealing with other forms of contracts and circumstances where consultants are brought in, sometimes at enormous expense, to carry out particular tasks. The allocation of funding in this regard is not often seen in a very transparent way. To be fair to him, he was ruled out of order by the Leas-Cheann Comhairle in terms of answering the questions of staffing, temporary contracts and consultants. Will they be permitted or not?

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