Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

Deputies Flanagan and McGrath took the opportunity to make a populist attack on lead personalities in RTE. The fact of the matter is that RTE is facing a significant deficit. I had a further meeting with the director general of RTE this week. The focus of the meeting was his plans to try to get the deficit under control. It is fair to point out that RTE was the first of the State companies out of the traps with regard to savings and pay reductions. It is expected that those who can best afford it will make a contribution to the future savings that will have to be made in RTE. I cannot agree with the suggestion that the quality of RTE's public service programming is inferior. TG4 is an innovative and worthwhile station with the capacity to do a great deal to keep the language alive, which is vital in this country. I regret that the qualities in public service broadcasting that RTE strives to represent - within the budget available it, rather than that available to the BBC - are not recognised by Deputy Flanagan.

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