Joanna Byrne (Louth, Sinn Fein)

I thank my party colleague Aengus Ó Snodaigh for introducing this Bill, which he submitted to the Bills Office in the previous Dáil. He has done tremendous work on this Bill and the many others he has introduced to the House. I also welcome our party colleague the MP for Newry and Armagh, Dáire Hughes - he is here with us today - who raised the issue of geo-blocking last year and highlighted how unfair it was when RTÉ stopped broadcasts of its news bulletins in the North of Ireland, including news from the 2024 Olympic Games. Despite RTÉ News resuming broadcasting in the North, it was simply not good enough that RTÉ continued to geo-block coverage of team Ireland competing in the Olympic Games despite more than 30 northerners representing team Ireland, a 32-county team of competitors that did the entire nation proud. Up to today, the continued geo-blocking of RTÉ programming, including the broadcast of GAA and other sporting fixtures, is a source of deep frustration for so many people.

Sinn Féin is a 32-county party committed to the ending of partition and all the vestiges of partition, such as the North of Ireland not being properly represented on maps on our national broadcaster. The Broadcasting (All-Ireland Service) (Amendment) Bill before us would place an onus on RTÉ and TG4 as our national broadcasters to proactively make every reasonable effort to end the exclusion of audiences in the North from their services. These services range from the geo-blocking of programming, to access to audience competitions and the insulting exclusion of the North's Six Counties from maps depicting Ireland.

The RTÉ Public Service Broadcasting Charter outlines RTÉ's commitment to serving the needs of the entire community on the island of Ireland. This commitment is further reinforced by the Broadcasting Act 2009, which mandates that RTÉ make its services available to the whole community. RTÉ's guiding principles also emphasise its role in bringing Irish people together and providing programming of interest to all, including those in the North of Ireland. It is simply not good enough for RTÉ to say that there is a broadcasting rights issue and then just forgetting about our northern counties and the people there.

I understand there were discussions and meetings between the Irish and British Governments and broadcasters RTÉ and BBC to find a solution to geo-blocking of sporting events last year, and that is very welcome. Based on those meetings and agreeing with the concerns raised about geo-blocking, I hope that all in government will support this Bill as it moves through the various stages to passing and becoming an Act. If additions are needed, I am sure we can address them by way of amendment along the way, but one thing is certain, that the Bill is needed.

This Bill would put in legislation what is in our national broadcaster's guiding principles. It would build bridges with northern audiences and correct the wrongs that are a major source of annoyance to viewers in the North of Ireland.

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