Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)

I support Deputy Coveney. I regret the fact that the Minister is not dealing with this in any way that recognises the problem, which is that we have an antiquated system. Twenty per cent of the people do not pay at all, while 52 people have ended up in jail for non-payment. There are advertisements that inform us that 18,000 households are visited every month. I do not believe that for a minute. The reality is that most people are not caught because one in five of us do not get caught, and if we are caught, we do not pay.

This is a practical issue about funding public service broadcasting. We must have the flow of money. It should be related in some way to the realities of technological advances. The technology will keep changing rapidly. Computers, television sets, iPods and so on are part and parcel of all households. They will increasingly be part of all households and there are other ways that are simpler, more practical and more efficient in getting a return in terms of public service broadcasting. One example is Greece and Germany also has a different system of payment.

We have spent an enormous amount of time on the Broadcasting Bill but it does not amount to a hill of beans. There are a few changes. The new authority will cost the same as the old authority but will have many functions. There will be modest changes, with a film channel and an Oireachtas channel sometime. We will not have the diaspora channel, as required in law, until whenever. There is a requirement for the Minister to deal with this issue. It would be a good legacy of a Minister who is on top of his brief to take on this challenge and accept that Ireland must move towards the digital world in a way that will ensure people pay their fair share in ensuring public service broadcasting.

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