Dáil debates

Wednesday, 30 November 2022

Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages

 

6:37 pm

Photo of Pa DalyPa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 42:

In page 45, between lines 29 and 30, to insert the following: “Duties with regard to regional balance

9.The Principal Act is amended by the insertion of the following section after section 39:
“Duties with regard to regional balance
39A.(1) Coimisiún na Meánshall prepare and publish a report no later than five years following its establishment proposing recommendations on how the State could ensure that all public bodies engaged in the distribution of State moneys for the production, screening and broadcast of audiovisual or sound content, including but not limited to RTÉ, Screen Ireland, and the Commission, work to distribute funds equitably and proportionally across the whole community of the island of Ireland in the interests of regional balance in terms of both investment and representation in audiovisual content, screen and sound, including in programmes relating to news and current affairs, culture, and sport, of communities across the whole island.

(2) The report prepared under subsection (1) shall give due regard to the particular need to support the production of Irish language audiovisual or sound content in Gaeltacht areas, including targeted investment and representation for Gaeltacht communities.

(3) The Commission shall prepare and publish a report every 10 years from its establishment providing a general overview of the regional spread of investment and representation over the preceding 10 year period of regional voices and communities by State bodies in audiovisual content, screen and sound across the whole community of the island of Ireland, including specifically in programmes relating to news and current affairs, culture, and sport, and outlining recommendations on how to improve the regional balance of investment and representation.

(4) The reports referred to in subsections (1) and (3) shall be laid before the Minister, both Houses of the Oireachtas, and the Joint Oireachtas Committee upon publication.”.”.

This is another simple amendment, which seeks a report from Coimisiún na Meán after five years and every ten years thereafter examining regional balance of investment and representation in the media. This will help with Government policymaking in future as well as the monitoring of how funds are spent. We have taken account of the specific need for Irish language funding to focus on Gaeltacht areas.

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