Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

It is important to bear in mind that broadcasting is suffering the same stresses and strains as the economy in general. There has been a dramatic reduction in RTE's commercial income, which is nowhere near what it was three years ago. That is a serious development. There has been a significant shift of advertising away from the traditional television platform and towards the Internet. I presume Deputy Ó Cuív would share my surprise regarding an estimate which indicates that this year Internet advertising will exceed that which relates to television. A couple of years ago, no one would have made a projection to the effect that this would be the case. However, it has already become a reality.

In addition to the stresses and strains of the economic situation, there is the convergence of technologies to consider. These aspects all give rise to a challenge for the national broadcaster. When he served as a Minister, the Deputy participated in a decision - it was probably a good one - to devote some €10 million from licence fees to TG4. The sound and vision fund also benefits to the tune of 7%. It must be recognised, therefore, that certain constraints apply.

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