Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)

I support Deputy Joe McHugh's comments. In asking the Minister for an update on the plans to close the RTE office in London I ask him also for his views on that in light of the role that office has played in the coverage of British-Irish relations, including the steps taken jointly by both countries in respect of the peace process in Northern Ireland. The RTE office in London has covered milestones in British-Irish relations which were important to the peace process. They include the signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement, the Downing Street Declaration and meetings held over the years between the British Prime Minister and the Taoiseach.

A bedrock of good quality public broadcasting is news. Talent shows and celebrity quests come and go but the news is the solid part of a public broadcaster or any good quality television station.

Regarding British-Irish relations, I chair the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement which Senator George Mitchell attended on Friday last. One of the points he made was that the Good Friday Agreement was the end of the beginning. In agreements on peace processes it is often the implementation that is the difficult part. Much work remains to be done regarding British-Irish relations. Many parts of the Agreement remain to be implemented and many issues remain to be addressed, and the role of RTE in covering all of those is extremely important.

There is a need to respect the fact that many people on this island have a strong connection with Britain due to our history and through emigration. Unionists in Northern Ireland and on the island as a whole identify with Britain. Approximately 113,000 British citizens live in this state. The Good Friday Agreement provides that people in Northern Ireland may identify themselves as Irish, British or both and, accordingly, they have a right to hold British and Irish citizenship. This is another important factor.

As a child of Irish emigrants to Britain, I am aware of our strong connection with the Irish community in Britain. Irish emigrants in Britain object to the closure of the RTE London office. It is important that we maintain our ties with Irish emigrants by keeping open the office, if possible.

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