Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Yes, we will resolve the funding issue. It is appropriate in my mind to do so when the various immediate governance issues in RTÉ have been addressed and resolved. We have to do it in a way whereby we do provide significant funding. If it comes from the Exchequer, it is still being paid by the Irish people. That money will possibly have to come from some other budget, be it social welfare, disability or wherever else. There is not a magic money tree so we have to make sure money is well spent and that we raise the tax revenues to cover it. In the interim period, people should pay the licence fee because it provides a real service of value to the Irish people. It provides real strength to our democracy and our country. I will say, and I am keen to hear Sinn Féin to hear say, that people should pay the licence fee in the interim period because that money is well spent and serves us well. We will then address the longer-term issue in the coming months, before the summer period, in order that we set it on a course that is stable and continuous and delivers.

I am glad that in her closing comments, the Deputy said people respect the value of public service broadcasting because I believe they do. For all their flaws, and all of us in the political system have difficulties with various media organisations and from time to time differ about how they cover us, any fair assessment would say that through RTÉ and our other media organisations, particularly for current affairs, we are, by and large, well served by media that are independent, fair and not biased, and which do not deserve to be attacked by legal challenge or by other public commentary which does them down, too much of which I have heard from our political system.

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