Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)

I will not prejudge the process the BCI is engaged in but there will be an outcome which sees us having an effective DTT service combining a free-to-air service with a commercial allied service.

The second key reason we want to see that delivered is not only do we get a benefit from the analogue switch off, but we also need a variety of platforms here to ensure that we are not dependent on outside platforms, as it were, and that there is a real benefit in terms of having a State supported terrestrial system. That is what the licence fee holders pay for and that is what we want to deliver.

The same analogue switch off date does not apply to radio. The spectrum used is much smaller and, therefore, there is not as big an economic issue, nor is there an imperative from the European Union which is the case regarding the analogue switch off in television. In the same way that FM rolled out in the 1980s because it could provide a better quality service, I believe we will see digital radio coming here because it provides a better quality service. Major efficiencies can be gained in the transmission system, and that is in the long-term benefit of the broadcasters.

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