Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

There are two sides to this story, which I will tell the Minister. We are aware of the debacle and the scandals going on with RTÉ. To be honest I do not know where it is going. As far as the public is concerned it is going nowhere. The public have lost complete confidence.

I will take you all back a little bit to 1970, when a transmitter and antenna on a wooden pole was erected by RTÉ south of Rosscarbery. In 2001, the current owner bought the farm with a mortgage. In 2003, RTÉ replaced the wooden pole with an 18 m mast, in a slightly different area. On 18 December 2010 the family that owns the ground where the mast is located received a letter claiming adverse possession, which is squatter's rights, from RTÉ. These are the lads that are now splashing money all over the country but they cannot pay people when they use their ground. The family responded saying they were the owners. In this time RTÉ had moved around the site and enlarged the area over the years. RTÉ has allowed Vodafone to place a mast on the site in Rosscarbery and, who knows, they are probably being well paid for that. The land registry letter proves that RTÉ accepts that the Canty family are the registered owners of the property. This is a David versus Goliath situation. We have RTÉ throwing taxpayer money left, right and centre - all in the nod and wink style - and then claiming squatter's rights on another man's ground in Rosscarbery. I have raised this issue with the Tánaiste, Deputy Micheál Martin, and with other politicians, but nothing has happened. Will the Minister, Deputy Martin, now intervene in this issue and show some respect to the people in this country who deserve respect at this time? These people had given the use of their land for the great good of the people in Rosscarbery and surrounds, but RTÉ have taken full advantage and are playing like a piece of dirt around the place. The Minister needs to intervene. RTÉ is acting like bullies at the top and this needs to be stopped.

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