Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

At the outset, I acknowledge the contribution of the independent radio sector in bringing diversity to the airwaves and serving the needs of communities, often at a very local level. Having said that, it needs to be borne in mind that these stations were established as commercial entities. Station owners sought and accepted licences on clear terms, which included a limited amount of public service-type content. In many cases, their success in the licence application process was assisted by the voluntary commitments they gave regarding the provision of public service-type content, over and above that required by the relevant legislation. The licences were accepted in full knowledge of the current system of public funding. It is certainly regrettable that some of these stations are experiencing an understandable degree of financial stress. While that is a cause for concern, it does not mean the State should step in and provide funding. They are and remain commercial enterprises. It should also be noted that their popularity in the communities they serve is, in many cases, a distinct result of the local news content and current affairs programming they provide. That, in turn, gives them a strong advertising presence and thus earning potential.

The rationale for providing State funding for public service broadcasters is to provide an independent and reliable income flow that allows these corporations to attain their statutory public service objects while ensuring they can maintain editorial independence. This is especially important in the context of news and current affairs. The overall aim of public service broadcasting is to provide services and content which cater for all interests in society, while ensuring the varied elements of Irish culture and its intrinsic values are protected. Through the obligations placed on the public service broadcasters, which are explicitly set out in legislation passed by the Oireachtas, and through the criteria for the funding of content through the Sound and Vision scheme, the production of quality indigenous programming and the production of minority interest programming is strongly promoted. Over the last number of years, there have been calls from a wide range of media organisations regarding the future distribution of licence fee funding.

I am committed to the introduction of the proposed public service broadcasting charge, which will be household-based. The extent of the additional funding which may be yielded by this measure is unclear. As the charge will replace the TV licence, the first obligation of the revenue from the charge will be to ensure adequate funding for public service broadcasting. Therefore, before considering any wider distribution of public funds than that which applies at present, I would have to be convinced that such a distribution would represent a sound proposition in terms of policy for the sector and would not be to the ultimate disadvantage of public service broadcasters. I should clarify that if I were minded to provide public moneys to private investors, EU state aid rules would apply. It is categorically not possible for the State simply to decide to fund a set of incumbent licence holders during a licence period. Such a move, quite apart from the reaction of the European authorities, would expose the State to the risk of litigation from other operators who may have considered applying for a licence if such a revenue stream had been available.

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