Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Sound and Vision scheme sounds great but we both know, and it is important to outline to the House, that in reality it provides funding for documentaries and one-off measures on local radio stations rather than their day-to-day news and current affairs output, which is of a very high quality, whereas RTÉ's news and current affairs output is funded continuously or was up to now through the licence fee.

The reason I support the licence fee is that prosecutions are taken and it is an offence not to have a licence. An Post can recover the cost of the prosecution in the event that it is successful. However, recent announcements by District Court judges seem to suggest - at least in those instances - that An Post will not be able to recover the full cost or the majority of the cost of prosecuting people who do not have television licences. If this continues, the licence fee will fall off and a large cohort of people will not pay it. Clearly, there are people who will pay just because it is the law but others will realise that there are no consequences for not paying the licence fee and until a decision is made, RTÉ will just move further and further into debt.

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