Joanna Byrne (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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1. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the timeline for the replacement of the TV licence fee by direct funding from the Exchequer, managed by Coimisiún na Meán; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10148/25]

Joanna Byrne (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I ask the Minister to give a timeline for the replacement of the TV licence fee by direct funding from the Exchequer, managed by Coimisiún na Meán, and to make a statement on the matter.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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First, I congratulate Deputy Byrne and wish her well in her role as an Opposition spokesperson. I will make it clear from the outset that there is no intention to replace the television license fee. The previous Government made a decision last July that the licence fee should be reformed and enhanced, not abolished. It is in that context that the programme for Government sets out our commitment to a strong, independent media sector that provides essential public service broadcasting, supports local journalism and upholds the freedom of the press. To achieve this, it commits to ensuring stable, sufficient funding for RTÉ and TG4 to maintain quality programming and public trust, and contains a range of specific commitments to support the independent sector to provide quality public service content. .

These commitments are underpinned by the new framework to finance public service broadcasting agreed by the Government last July, which was further reflected in the general scheme of the broadcasting (amendment) Bill, published last October. Under this framework, TG4 will continue to be financed entirely through the Exchequer, while RTÉ will be financed through the licence fee and an additional Exchequer allocation as appropriate. The broadcasting fund will be converted to a platform-neutral media fund to support public service content through the wider media sector.

Public support for public service broadcasting and public service content will be €324 million in 2025. In this context, the television licence remains an important source of revenue which, it is estimated, will contribute more than €204 million in 2025, with more than €120 million of that forecast to be raised through the sale of television licences by An Post and the balance through funding for free television licences. This funding is not only for RTÉ; 7% of the net licence fee receipts will be paid into the broadcasting fund and, ultimately, into the new media fund.

As part of its decision last July, the Government decided that the TV licence system will be underpinned by improvements in collection and compliance to maximise revenue generation. The Government reconvened the television licence technical working group to examine potential enhancements to the TV licence and agreed to provide An Post with an Exchequer allocation of €6 million over a three-year period for necessary improvements in the collection system and technology.

Joanna Byrne (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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A vibrant, diverse, financially sustainable and independent media sector is critical to any well functioning democracy. Across Europe, the TV licence model is being phased out because it is outdated and does not work. The Minister is aware that in 2022 the Future of Media Commission recommended the TV licence fee be replaced by direct Exchequer funding in 2024. The Minister's Government chose to ignore that recommendation and kicked the can down the road by means of reform.

The Minister is aware that in the previous Dáil term, just last year, the media committee also officially recommended the TV licence fee should be abolished and replaced with Exchequer funding. The Government sat on its hands, again, and did nothing to progress this. Both of these bodies made these recommendations after long and considered discussions and consideration of all of the information required to make such a decision. They were not knee-jerk reactions to the multiple scandals - which are still unresolved in some cases - around governance and spending in RTÉ. In fact, the Future of Media Commission recommendation was made before any of the RTÉ scandals were unearthed.

The RTÉ scandals did have a knock-on effect and there was a total reduction in revenue generated by TV licence sales for the 12-month period between July 2023 and June 2024 that amounted to a reduction of €29 million compared with the year before, prior to the scandals being uncovered. When will the reform happen? We need to get timelines on this from the Minister. I appreciate his response but this issue is not going away.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The opening line of my reply made clear where the Government is on the previous Government decision but, to put it in context for the Deputy, in 2020 the total licence fee revenue was of the order of €222 million. The latest figure for 2024 is approximately €195 million. I am not sure where the Deputy thinks that money will come from in the absence of the licence fee. Does she think it should come directly from the Exchequer? If it is to come directly from the Exchequer, €200 million is a lot of money. Where does the Deputy propose we get that money? Which schemes under my Department that are currently funded to the tune of €200 million should pay the cost?

Joanna Byrne (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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It is interesting that the Minister asks me where I would get the figures from. I have read the Minister's brief and, in the sections that detail the agencies under the remit of his Department, the annual budget for Coimisiún na Meán is blank. No figure is provided. Is the Minister considering reforming the TV licence before providing this figure or where is he at with it? It is a serious matter. Just because the TV licence is not as prominent in the headlines as it once was, that does not mean the Minister should not be paying it any attention.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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I accept that the television licence is very important but €195 million is a fairly big hole. If Sinn Féin is now proposing I abolish it, I wonder where I will get €195 million. Should I get it from health, social welfare, housing or roads? That is a lot of money. If we are advocating for the abolition of a fee, the abolition of a charge, the reduction of a tax and that everybody gets everything for nothing, the Deputy might enlighten me as to where the money will come from. I do not see that substance in her question and I certainly do not see it in my Department. I do not have €195 million. If I did, I know where I would put it. There are a lot of demands for that kind of funding. If the Deputy would like to tell me where I can get €195 million, I will be delighted to know where it is.