Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I too thank Deputy Dooley for bringing forward this Bill and for bringing in our guests yesterday evening. The local radio stations in my county are Tipp FM and Tipperary Mid West Community Radio. They cover everything from the cradle to the grave, from death notices to notices of births. They share people's joy, and their sadness at the end. This day 12 months ago, we were all sent home from here. The beast had arrived. We went home and dealt with it. I have fond memories of travelling into the Galtee Mountains with Trudy Waters from Tipp FM on a Fastrac - we took it very slowly - to see and meet people. The local radio stations go out and look after people. The team at Tipp FM on Fran Curry's show, including his producer, Ben Sweeney; Pat Murphy on the news; Trudy Waters; and all the others, are just loved by the people. A phenomenal 3.1 million people a day listen to community and local radio.

The beast we are now trying to deal with is the beast of RTÉ. It has too much of a say. It has control and its fingers must be taken off of the sector. A fair share must be given to local radio stations. The then Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny, promised three years ago to get rid of the punitive levies they have to pay but nothing has happened since. They cannot wait any longer. It is not all about the Pale and RTÉ. I was out last night and saw the fabulous new entrance to RTÉ's studios on the N11. There was no problem for it in getting planning permission. There was no objections from the National Roads Authority or anybody else. I wonder why. I welcome it, as we can now get in and out more easily but Dublin gets everything it wants. We want our radio stations to be allowed to breathe, to be safe and to be able to look after people.

People would be dead in their houses only for them. People would not have had health issues dealt with if they did not have the outlet of Fran Curry or Joe Pryce's shows to air their issues. With support from the likes of us and with a bit of nudging, the HSE can perhaps then be shamed into doing something.

Deputy Pringle was giving out about the big crowd yesterday evening but why would we not be there? They are our connectivity with the people. They sell our message and they bring the people's message to us. I fully support the ambulance drivers and paramedics and will be on the picket line with them tomorrow. Today we are talking about communication with the people. Ní neart go cur le chéile. It is vital that we support independent radio, which began with pirate radio stations such as Clonmel radio and Tipp Mid West Radio run by volunteers and ordinary people who loved radio for different reasons. They brought the independent sector to where it is today, providing professional services. Independent stations need to have a modicum of resources and need not to be weighed down by the punitive taxes imposed on them. They must be allowed to connect with the people and give a voice to the people. The people are being shut out of Government. This Government has closed down town councils, Garda stations, post offices and so on. Indeed, the post office in Thurles is being shifted out of the centre of town.

People want to have local radio stations and all that these stations want is a level playing field so that they are able to compete. The people have voted with their ears by listening to them and talking to them. They are listening to the Minister as well and are waiting for him to come good on his promises. The Government said that it would be fair and it would give the independent sector a modicum of respect. It must support local radio. So much is here in Dublin and that is the problem with this Cabinet, or rather, the cabal of Dublin people who are controlling the Cabinet. It is to hell or to Connaught with us in rural Ireland but we will not stand for this. The local radio stations need fair treatment.

I compliment Deputy Dooley for bringing representatives of the sector to the House today and for tabling the motion. I was shocked to hear the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Deputy Regina Doherty, say last week that she would not listen to a motion that had been tabled and a vote of this House that called for something else to be done. The Government is ignoring democracy. It is ignoring the local radio stations, with their voluntary or paid boards and their volunteers. As Deputy Grealish said, these stations give young people an opportunity to get into journalism. They encourage young people to do research and to work during transition year, they support many charitable events and they are very successful. They want to be allowed to continue to do that. I have heard interviews by Fran Curry, Trudy Waters and others and they are riveting. They go into people's homes when people cannot come to them. One does not get that with RTÉ, which had a wonderful south east correspondent, as I am sure Deputy Butler will agree, in Damien Tiernan, for many years. He is gone now but has not been replaced. There is a lady coming from Kerry, who is fine in her own right, to do the job now but we need our own reporter for Waterford, Wexford and Tipperary, which are just as good as Dublin and the counties around the Pale. That position must be filled but, above all, we need local radio stations to be supported. Ní neart go cur le chéile.

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