Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an díospóireacht seo. Molaim an Teachta Penrose as ucht an Bhille seo a chur os ár gcomhair. Tá sé ráite ag mo chomhghleacaí, an tAire, an Teachta Naughten, go bhfuil fadhbanna ag baint leis an mBille seo. Aontaím leis an Aire go bhfuil fadhb leis an gcuóta de 40%, mar shampla. I welcome this debate. It is an interesting debate and one that has raised some genuine passions. Clearly, it is an issue of interest to all Deputies.

Under the Broadcasting Act 2009, public service broadcasters must ensure their service reflects the varied elements which make up the culture of the people of Ireland. RTE and TG4 have published detailed commitments on an annual basis setting out how they plan to meet these obligations across the range of services they provide. The practical implementation of these commitments is of significant benefit to Irish artists and musicians across all those services, not only on radio.

The majority of commercial stations already have a 30% quota in their broadcasting licence. Many of these stations play over and above this percentage. The Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Naughten, has confirmed to me that he will write to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland to seek confirmation of adherence by broadcasters to this quota, as per the request of Deputy Kelly.

It is important to recognise that broadcasters are important stakeholders in this debate as well. It is also important to note the right of broadcasters to determine the type of programming and content they wish to broadcast, subject to meeting relevant licensing and legislative obligations.

As Minister Naughten has outlined, the introduction of specific quotas is not always the solution. It could possibly lead to a position of strict adherence to the minimum by those upon whom they are imposed. We have already heard about the difficulties this has created in France and South Africa.

The main problem with the approach proposed by Deputy Penrose is that, despite all the efforts over the years, it has not been possible to come up with a satisfactory and workable definition of Irish music. The definition provided by Deputy Penrose is decidedly vague and I do not believe that it could be introduced as it stands. The current arrangement, whereby applicants for commercial radio licences are invited to volunteer Irish music commitments for inclusion in the programme policy statements of the station, has been found to be the most efficient solution. As these commitments are voluntary, they can include commitments based on nationality and residence and have not created any issues at European level. These commitments form part of the individual licence of each broadcaster and are monitored by the BAI on an ongoing basis to ensure compliance.

While the promotion of works by Irish artists is to be encouraged, this is not something into which public service or commercial radio stations wish to be forced. The best way to increase air play of Irish music is for the music industry to engage with radio stations and for the parties to work together. A quota, if introduced, could or would have a negative effect. It could result in more repetitive Irish music being played, negative impacts on radio station revenues and potential resultant job losses. This can be explored in the forum to which the Minister referred earlier.

The proposed legislative approach is inflexible and could have the opposite effect of the stated intention of Deputy Penrose to promote the Irish music industry. I believe the issue would be best considered by the proposed joint Oireachtas committee broadcasting forum to which the Minister, Deputy Naughten, referred earlier. This would give all stakeholders, musicians, broadcasters and policy-makers an opportunity to consider how best to promote Irish music in such a manner that benefits all. Therefore, I urge Deputies not to support the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill. Moreover, I encourage Members to engage with the broadcasting forum on this important issue in due course.

See this speech in context