Results 2,621-2,640 of 3,444 for speaker:Shane Cassells

Seanad: Local Government (Surveillance Powers in Relation to Certain Offences) Bill 2022: Second Stage (26 Jan 2022)

Shane Cassells: I pay tribute to my colleague, Senator Malcolm Byrne, for bringing forward this Bill and outlining his intentions. His motivation comes from a deep-rooted sense of community and his involvement in local government over nearly 20 years. I have been involved for the same time. We were both elected in 1999, and back then the environment departments of our local authorities were probably the...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Jan 2022)

Shane Cassells: Yesterday, RTÉ's director general, Ms Dee Forbes, appeared before the Oireachtas media committee and one of the key issues we discussed was funding of RTÉ and public media services in general. The RTÉ submission yesterday had a section titled "Why the TV current licence fee model is no longer fit for purpose". There is approximately €160 million brought in via the...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Jan 2022)

Shane Cassells: It is a pity the process was not started five years ago when Fine Gael was in government. It had the opportunity to fund RTÉ.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ's Public Service Statement, Irish Language Services and RTÉ Board Appointments Process: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Shane Cassells: I welcome Ms Doherty and Ms Forbes and thank them both for their service on behalf of RTE. It is very much valued. Given that Deputy Griffin was calling for "The Den" to be brought back, I call on Ms Forbes to ensure "Radharc" would be brought back. A good friend of mine, Fr. Bob McCabe from Navan - mass is often broadcast from Navan and we provide a service at 10.30 a.m. on RTÉ News...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ's Public Service Statement, Irish Language Services and RTÉ Board Appointments Process: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Shane Cassells: RTÉ is often criticised but I would praise it for making sure international events are secured. However, the price of these events is quite substantial. Ms Forbes is categorically saying that to be able to secure events she would not anticipate ever putting any such games on a pay per view platform on RTÉ.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ's Public Service Statement, Irish Language Services and RTÉ Board Appointments Process: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Shane Cassells: That is why I have asked that question. The Future of Media Commission report is likely to kick that back to Ms Forbes in terms of finding those gaps in funding, notwithstanding the €65 million. Is that something that has been countenanced by RTÉ's financial controller on the basis that these events cost an awful lot of money and we are competing against pay per view platforms?...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ's Public Service Statement, Irish Language Services and RTÉ Board Appointments Process: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Shane Cassells: It has never been countenanced though, has it?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ's Public Service Statement, Irish Language Services and RTÉ Board Appointments Process: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Shane Cassells: Ms Forbes alluded to the Virgin Media deal struck in the past week, and it is good to see two broadcasters coming together, but is that model something she has considered? The Sky deal on the GAA ran from 2017 to 2022. That deal was criticised and the GAA was heavily criticised. The GAA has a financial model it has to fulfil. Politicians like to get up and kick the GAA in the Dáil,...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ's Public Service Statement, Irish Language Services and RTÉ Board Appointments Process: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Shane Cassells: Absolutely. RTÉ has struck a ground-breaking relationship, as Ms Forbes said last week, with another domestic television company in Ireland. Could she envisage RTÉ working with that company in other sporting codes in the future?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ's Public Service Statement, Irish Language Services and RTÉ Board Appointments Process: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Shane Cassells: Okay. Returning to the financial situation, Ms Forbes mentioned the evasion of the licence fee. I discussed that with her at the Committee of Public Accounts previously and with respect to a petition some five years ago but nothing has happened since. This committee previously reported on two key proposals, one, to get Revenue to collect the fee in order that we would get the €65...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ's Public Service Statement, Irish Language Services and RTÉ Board Appointments Process: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Shane Cassells: We have already seen people in the Department----

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ's Public Service Statement, Irish Language Services and RTÉ Board Appointments Process: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Shane Cassells: We have already seen leaks from the Department of Finance which says it is opposed to the Exchequer picking up the bill, which would lead to debates from Virgin Media, as well. It is a discussion because, ultimately, the €500 million that has been lost over the past number of years has impacted on what programming can be done with what was coming back to RTÉ and what it would be...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ's Public Service Statement, Irish Language Services and RTÉ Board Appointments Process: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Shane Cassells: Is Ms Forbes advising to scrap the licence fee and move to the broadcasting charge? Is that still her preferred option?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ's Public Service Statement, Irish Language Services and RTÉ Board Appointments Process: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Shane Cassells: Senator Malcolm Byrne also touched on the policy of retiring at 65. Obviously, we had the case last year which ended in the settlement with Anne Roper for €100,000. Are people still being asked to retire at 65 and has a policy been put in place since that case?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ's Public Service Statement, Irish Language Services and RTÉ Board Appointments Process: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Shane Cassells: Will there be positive engagement with those who are approaching 65, but do not want to retire? Has a policy been put in place since the court case last year?

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Mental Health Services (3 Feb 2022)

Shane Cassells: I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, for coming to the House to address this critical issue, namely, the need to reinstate a director of mental health services. I know the Department of Health has competing demands from cancer care to cardio to treatments across the board, but the need for us to grasp in a definitive way the issue of mental health is one I see as a pressing...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Mental Health Services (3 Feb 2022)

Shane Cassells: I thank Minister of State for that response. I want to pay tribute to the Minister of State for stating that she is driving this. She wants to see the reinstatement happen. This is because she knows that this will drive the change in policy that she wants to achieve in the whole area of mental health in Ireland. As the Minister of State said, there has been much discussion, in particular...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (10 Feb 2022)

Shane Cassells: I support the Order of Business as outlined by the Leader. There is a lot of excitement and pent up anticipation among politicians in these Houses today about the imminent announcement of sports capital funding for our sports clubs, which will allow for much-needed development. Such is the excitement one would think guys in here will be donning tracksuits and showing their own sporting...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 Feb 2022)

Shane Cassells: Next week the largest sporting organisation in the country, the GAA, will hold its annual congress in County Mayo. One club and its chairman have been so motivated by the abuse of drugs they have witnessed within our society and in particular, within our GAA clubs, that they have been moved to table a motion at congress. That man is Tim Barry from Rathdowney-Errill GAA in County Laois and...