Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Does the Minister not believe it is totally disingenuous of the Government and RTÉ to allow a flagrant breaking of the law when they have a statutory obligation regarding the money that we, as taxpayers, give through the licence fee to maintain the orchestras? They have allowed them to become run down. Their funding has been decreased dramatically in recent years. It seems to me that the Government does not exercise any control over agencies that have statutory obligations laid down by this House.

Is the Minister telling me that, as well as paying our licence fees to fund the two orchestras, we will actually have to pay more taxes, amounting to €4 million in general taxation, to pay for them again? If RTÉ cuts its funding to the orchestra in the future, will we then have to pay again? Is this just a mechanism by RTÉ to get more funding? The Minister should remember that RTÉ will get a bonanza of cash in the next ten years when we start to provide houses for the people. Every house virtually means a television licence, and every commercial property means a television licence. We know we are very short of houses. When we eventually get around to building the houses the people need, RTÉ will see a massive increase in its income. The Minister is still letting it off the hook. Can she tell me that if she does what she is doing, she will not be asked time and again to get us to double-fund these orchestras? Is it her intention to ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment to rescind the Broadcasting Act 2009?

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