Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It seems the Government has rejected the Exchequer funding model in favour of trying to patch up the leaky licence fee model. It also seems the Government has rejected the idea of a powerful broadcasting commission that, as the developmental body, would not just oversee in considerable detail the performance of RTÉ but also the performance of the other media that looked to it for funding. Is this the future? Does the Minister agree with having a stronger broadcasting commission that would oversee content to the sort of minute degree it oversees RTÉ now? RTÉ’s detailed performance reporting runs to hundreds of pages. Is the mix of commercial income and limping along with the licence fee the alternative to that? I feel we are falling between two stools. We do not have a clear picture of the direction of future travel.

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