Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)

I move amendment No. 146:

In page 150, line 40, after "adult" to insert "or media".

Media literacy, which aims to increase our awareness of the nature of the many forms of media messages encountered in our everyday lives, is increasingly recognised both here and across Europe as a key element in the economic, cultural and democratic development of society. Amendment No. 146 proposes to extend the remit of the broadcasting fund to explicitly permit the funding of new television and radio programmes which advance media literacy.

Amendment No. 147 proposed by Deputy Coveney relates to the extent to which the broadcasting fund should fund news and current affairs programming. There are strong arguments against extending the scope of the broadcasting fund to such general news and current affairs programming, the first being that news and current affairs output should not be dependent on the success or otherwise of funding applications for grants from the broadcasting fund.

Such a provision would fail the additionality test, given the existing news and current affairs requirements on certain categories of broadcasters who are gifted use to the valuable radio spectrum. The final and principal argument against this is that such a provision would diminish the overall funding pool for the types of programming which have made the broadcasting fund the successful venture that it has been to date. As such, I do not propose to accept the Deputy's amendment.

Amendment No. 148 proposed by Deputy McManus proposes the ring-fencing of a specific amount of the broadcasting fund for the purposes of developing community radio. The Bill as amended contains a range of measures to assist the development of community radio in Ireland, including, inter alia, empowering the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland to award temporary contracts of up to 100 days to community radio broadcasters in section 68 and providing that the BAI, in preparing a scheme under the broadcasting fund, may have regard to the specific development needs of community broadcasters as set out in section 154(5).

These provisions, along with the increase in the proportion of television licence fee revenues allocated to the broadcasting fund, will assist the development of the community radio sector in Ireland. As such, I do not propose to accept the Deputy's amendment.

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