Dáil debates

Thursday, 29 March 2018

Report on Future Funding of Public Service Broadcasting: Motion

 

8:10 pm

Photo of Bríd SmithBríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I thank the committee and all the civil servants who worked very hard on compiling this report. It is comprehensive and a great deal of work went into it. It is a very interesting report. That does not mean we support all the recommendations, but it is an excellent source of information about broadcasting models and proposals for the funding of public broadcasting. I welcome it and I welcome this discussion because it is important.

We are strong supporters of public broadcasting and the proper funding of public broadcasting. As we look back over the decades of the national broadcaster and, indeed, if people 50 years from now look back on what is being produced today, I do not believe what will be of significant interest culturally and historically from television and radio archives will be the commercially driven and often sensationalist reality television shows but the documentaries, the serious investigations and the high quality musical and cultural productions that reflect deeper and more profound aspects of our culture and society. I am of an age that I can remember the production of "Strumpet City", a brilliant series that looked at the legacy of the Lock-out in 1913, and "Amuigh Faoin Spéir", which was produced as a nature programme but was a groundbreaking piece of work in its day. Currently, the "Documentary on One" radio programme is a massive source of entertainment, information and historical wealth. It receives much kudos and prizes internationally for its work.

Although we might disagree on what might be of aesthetic value here or there, it is obvious that much of what we treasure nationally from our national broadcaster would not be produced by commercially driven or profit orientated production companies or television outlets. It is because it is being done by the national broadcaster that it is of such significance and high quality. Therefore we need to look after public service broadcasting, to support local and community outlets and to nurture, develop and enhance cultural works that otherwise would not see the light of day in a purely commercially driven world.

7 o’clock

The big question is how we fund this. It appears that this question is no different to the question of how we fund any public service. In this debate, there is always an emphasis on the TV licence fee, on evasion and on increasing the fee or handing it over to an agency other than An Post. Now the proposal is to hand it over the Revenue, like another household charge, and to collect it in a move that will ask people to pay €160, via Revenue, for owning a mobile phone. It is not for the ownership of a 24-inch or 40-inch screen. This will be quite shocking to a lot of people. It seems like an austerity measure rather than a sensible way to fund broadcasting.

It is staggering that 1,693 people are currently facing the courts for refusal or failure to pay the TV licence fee. During the key austerity years - 2012 to 2014 - the number of people who faced prison sentences soared to 400, most of whom were women. Dealing with the matter in this way is a staggering waste and this is why we are having this discussion. Apart from the waste, there is the humiliation of putting people into prison - be it for a few hours or a day. This is also staggeringly incomprehensible. Most of these people are women and most are dispossessed and vulnerable. It is no accident that these numbers peaked during the austerity years. We need to ensure that poor people and single parents who do not have the means to pay the fee are protected and do not face the threat of jail.

A recommendation to hand the licence fee collection over to Revenue takes no account of the impact on the An Post network if such a move is taken. This is another aspect with which the Department has to deal. There is a huge threat facing many rural post offices and to take the collection function from post offices is like splitting one's head and putting on a plaster. Our national post operator lurches from one crisis to another, with threats of doomsday approaching. We utter platitudes about the importance of the post office network but it is now proposed to introduce steps that will reduce An Post further in terms of its health and its ability to continue.

I acknowledge the various submissions from many stakeholders such as Screen Producers Ireland on how to collect and dispense the funds needed to properly fund a decent, wholesome, native film and arts sector with indigenous producers. This is what we believe needs to be done, but not in the way that is being proposed. I do not agree with the emphasis on the licence fee collection. We are clearly in favour of levying retransmission fees. This move would raise much more revenue. It is only right that the large multinational operators that make big profits in the State from broadcasting should be compelled to pay for the national broadcasting. I also support the idea that the amount paid by the State to the national broadcasters for the TV licence fee for recipients of social protection should reflect the actual value of that licence. This is very similar to the situation where the amount paid by the State to subvent public transport was capped in 2009 and frozen at that level. This needs to change.

I do not want this debate to concentrate on how ordinary viewers or owners of mobile phones and laptops can be shaken down. A special levy on Internet service providers and other sources of profits that are raised in Ireland would be absolutely appropriate. Profits from advertising, for example, largely go to firms outside the State but do nothing to support broadcasting here or fund local and regional art and cultural development.

Ireland seems content to ignore the fact that while consumption of media is changing, massive profits are being generated for several multinational companies involved in the production of that media. This is where we should be seeking to raise the funding for our public broadcasting services.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.