Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Deputy. As I said, we are in that final public consultation that closes in early May.

At least we got the state aid approval. There are certain processes that have to be gone through, but Coimisiún na Mean has secured that. Television, radio, print, online and community media will all be eligible to apply for the funding, subject to meeting the eligibility criteria set out by Coimisiún na Mean. Applications will be open to all eligible providers with no specific allocation or ring-fencing for different parts of the media sector, so it will be as fair and balanced as possible. It is needed, especially for local print and radio, which are absolutely essential. As the Deputy appreciates, we need to get our journalists back into the courts and reporting on local democracy. For those who have grown up in rural Ireland, it is what you look for in the newspaper and local radio is what you listen to when you wake in the morning. I am glad to have been in a position to have provided that €6 million in the budget. I encourage the Deputy to participate in the public consultation.

See this speech in context