Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The problems that exist in RTÉ are not of the Minister, Deputy Martin's making by any means. While I do not agree with how the situation was handled last week, the Minister is focused on her work in supporting RTÉ. She has been a champion for RTÉ and for the importance of public service broadcasting. Her sole focus has been on getting the truth, achieving maximum transparency and holding people accountable for the roles they have had within RTÉ. It can be a very difficult job, especially if you do not feel fully confident that you are getting full and accurate information. While there is debate as to who said what and who knew what, it is evident that both the Minister and the chair of the RTÉ board made mistakes, as was discussed at last night's committee meeting. As I have stated, I was not very happy with the way the Minister handled it and we had a battle last night. At the same time, I am confident that there was no intentional misrepresentation. However, the facts are still the same; people got packages they should not have got and there is no transparency or accountability, which is what is needed.

At the end of the day, RTÉ staff are hurting. This ongoing scandal affects them every day they show up for work at the broadcaster. Their wages were cut and infrastructure was devastated in the period of cutbacks. Despite scandal after scandal, we are getting nowhere. I have confidence in the Minister, Deputy Martin, to turn the tide on these scandals. Our vision needs to be very clear, regardless of any damage that has been done in a very limited broadcast in RTÉ.

It is no wonder that people are refraining from paying their TV licence fees. Reform is needed. The people deserve transparency from everybody. It is time to acknowledge that the entire environment has now changed as a result of the RTÉ scandals, which have exacerbated the organisation's funding challenges. The Government has failed for too long to address the question of how to fund public service broadcasting. All possible options need to be considered, learning from our international counterparts while considering both ideas put forward by the technical working group and the Future of Media Commission's original recommendations. We also need to consider the decline in TV licence receipts and the continuing shift in media consumption patterns.

With that in mind, there is a real opportunity for us to work with the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media in taking a modern and progressive approach to resolving the issues in RTÉ. It is imperative that we deliver a secure and sustainable source of funding. A future funding model must not only put RTÉ on a more sustainable footing but also must support other public service media providers and content producers to continue to provide high-quality public service content for the benefit of our entire society. We have a lot of creative talent on this island who need funding to create content but they oftentimes do not get enough. The landscape now is very different from the landscape when the RTÉ model was set up. Continuing shifts in media consumption patterns need to be accounted for and funding needs to be provided to address this issue. Centrally, we need a sustainable funding model for the national broadcaster, RTÉ, but the funding also needs to extend to the likes of TG4, Virgin Media and other media organisations at a national and a regional level, including local independent radio and print providers, that contribute to public service media content. The landscape has changed, which means the model has to change.

Overall, it is clear to see that the Minister is passionate about reforming RTÉ and its funding model with all options on the table, including a new media levy or direct Exchequer funding. She has worked to get to the truth, to achieve maximum transparency and to hold people accountable for the roles that they have had within RTÉ since June 2023.

The Minister kept mentioning the word "trust" today. It is very important that we restore trust in RTÉ. We also need reform. As I said to the Minister last night, I am not happy with how the chairperson was treated but we have to move forward. This has been going on for nine months. As I said, the Minister and I had a battle here last night but I am confident that she is capable of sorting out RTÉ. I hope it will be sorted out sooner rather than later.

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