John Halligan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Given the considerable cross-section of local news, sport, current affairs and drama programmes it broadcasts, it would be a contradiction in terms to say that it is primarily run for commercial purposes. My question is if two thirds of my constituents are listening to a local radio, and the same would equally apply across the country if 2.5 million are listening, surely there is a democratic deficit where all of the licence fee goes to a national broadcaster?

The board of IBI is of the belief that EU law does not constitute an obstacle on the establishment of a funding scheme for the independent radio sector. It maintains that the principle of additionality has no application whatsoever where the aid in question is domestic rather than EU funding. In its document it put forward a viable proposal as to how funding could be brought about without infringing any EU or State law up to approximately €66,000 per station per year. I am not sure whether the Minister read the document but he should do so. It negates the belief that under EU law the Minister cannot provide funding.

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