Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We cannot forget the Park House Hotel with Frank Kilbride. Many local venues in my area are packed to the rafters when promoting Irish music, country music and the indigenous music industry. This is an industry and it needs support.

I do not claim to know the context of this Bill, to be honest. However, the information we are being given is that it is not the best way forward. It is not only Fianna Fáil saying it. This Bill is not something Deputy Penrose thought of in the past week or eight months. He was promoting it even when his party was in Government and had the opportunity, with an overall majority, to pass it. It did not happen in that five-year period and it appears it will not happen this evening. What we must do now is examine how we can support this industry into the future. The new chair of the RTE authority should be invited to appear before the Oireachtas joint committee to answer why RTE is not playing Irish artists on its various shows. Foster and Allen have their own show on Sky. I listen to it regularly. They get far more play time on BBC or Sky than on our national broadcaster. That is simply not fair or good enough. We must ensure we find some method to support these artists into the future.

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