John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I cannot say that I am entirely satisfied with the Minister's response. There is a commitment in the programme for Government to review the system, and the Minister has outlined some of the changes he proposes to make. However, it has been brought to my attention with regard to the Sound & Vision fund, which is the 7% figure I mentioned earlier, that the funding for individual television projects tends to be in the range of over €100,000, whereas funding for radio projects tends to be in the €4,000 to €5,000 category. The reality is that for many communities, individuals and families in this country, their local radio station is their supplier of news and current affairs information.

While I understand the limitations of the existing system, I feel the current provision is not adequately reflective of where people actually get their news and current affairs content from. The Minister has outlined some changes in relation to advertising, which are to be welcomed. The recent economic downturn has had a significant effect on local radio providers around the country. Changes in that regard may have an impact into the future, but there is a crunch or pinch situation that exists at present. I suggest that in terms of what the licence fee aims to provide, the allocation received by local independent radio stations, or for which they are eligible to apply, is not reflective of the content produced by such stations on a daily basis. I will probably return to this matter again. I hope the Minister will be in a position to have a rethink on it before he makes any final decisions.

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