Results 941-960 of 4,404 for speaker:Liz McManus

Broadcasting Bill 2008 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Liz McManus: I move amendment No. 106: In page 126, to delete lines 15 to 20 and substitute the following: "(2) The Authority shall in each year carry out a review of the extent to which a corporation has during the previous financial year fulfilled the commitments stated in an annual statement of commitment for that financial year and the adequacy or otherwise of public funding to enable the Corporation...

Broadcasting Bill 2008 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Liz McManus: I have similar concerns to Deputy Coveney's. The provision of digital terrestrial television services, DTT, has become a tangled issue. It is of necessity a complex issue but I am concerned it is complicated by the number of players involved. There is the unknown entity which will replace Boxer, the commercial interest, RTE, ComReg, the BCI, the new authority and the Minister. Apart from...

Broadcasting Bill 2008 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Liz McManus: I move amendment No. 112: In page 130, between lines 22 and 23, to insert the following: 130.—(1) This section applies where provision contained in any agreement relating to the use of private property ("property agreement") has the effect of imposing on the occupier a prohibition or restriction under which his choice of— (a) the person from whom he obtains digital television services, or...

Broadcasting Bill 2008 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Liz McManus: For clarity, does the Bill published by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform deal with this issue? If not, Members must deal with it here.

Broadcasting Bill 2008 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Liz McManus: I trust the Minister and I will withdraw it.

Broadcasting Bill 2008 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Liz McManus: For the moment.

Broadcasting Bill 2008 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Liz McManus: I support the proposal outlined in Deputy Coveney's amendments. None of us can devise the perfect system, but that does not mean we should avoid the issue. I imagine that the current system of television licence fee collection dates back to a time when many households did not have television sets. It might have been appropriate then, but that is no longer the case. If we do not address...

Broadcasting Bill 2008 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Liz McManus: I move amendment No. 48: In page 49, line 40, to delete "on" and substitute "including". This is a modest proposal. It seems the Minister is being excessively cautious in not accepting it. It relates to a person making a complaint. There is a tendency in legislation on occasion to specify what people can do but by being so specific it may mean that certain areas of concern are not...

Broadcasting Bill 2008 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Liz McManus: I support Deputy Coveney in this regard. We all recognise that, generally speaking, standards in Irish broadcasting are good, and long may it remain so. Occasionally, however, people have made mistakes, and sometimes that can be extremely distressing for those affected. If that were not the case, there would not be provision for a complaints procedure or right of reply. Of those of us who...

Broadcasting Bill 2008 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Liz McManus: I move amendment No. 68: In page 83, between lines 20 and 21, to insert the following: "(11) Community content provision contract holders are exempt from any fees and are to be provided with a minimum level of service identifying the programmes being broadcast.".

Broadcasting Bill 2008 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Liz McManus: I move amendment No. 72: In page 86, after line 52, to insert the following: 78.—(1) The Authority shall not conclude a satellite content contract with a person for the purpose of material being supplied for its transmission as a broadcasting service (intended for reception in the State) by means of a satellite device unless satisfied that recipients of the service will be in a position to...

Broadcasting Bill 2008 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Liz McManus: I move amendment No. 76: In page 89, between lines 3 and 4, to insert the following: "(2) The board of a corporation shall include at least one member who has had experience of or shown capacity in each of the following areas— (a) matters pertaining to disability and ageing, (b) broadcasting, (c) digital media technologies.".

Broadcasting Bill 2008 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Liz McManus: It is important that serious consideration be given to these amendments. When the Broadcasting Bill was drafted, times were very different and the revenue accruing to broadcasters was probably not subjected to the same type of scrutiny as is currently the case because there was such a flow of it from advertising. In addition, the rate of the revenue from advertising was increasing year on...

Broadcasting Bill 2008 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Liz McManus: It is there.

Broadcasting Bill 2008 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Liz McManus: The Minister did not answer my question on the independent sector.

Broadcasting Bill 2008 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Liz McManus: The Minister has the annual report?

Broadcasting Bill 2008 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Liz McManus: We recognise that in international terms RTE is an unusual hybrid of commercial and television licence funding. There is constantly an issue of balancing between the two, and generally RTE does a very good job. However, the difficulties being experienced by RTE require us to be very rigorous in examining how things are done in our national broadcaster. There is a clear time lag between how...

Broadcasting Bill 2008 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Liz McManus: That is my second point. Even when it is published it will be two years out of date on this issue. I am not saying the star performers should be paid on the basis of how much advertising revenue they can bring in, because that would be the road to hell. However, because of how the advertising structure works, the programmes with the higher ratings can charge more for advertising, and the...

Broadcasting Bill 2008 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Liz McManus: We are not arguing that point; we are trying to ensure RTE can survive.

Broadcasting Bill 2008 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Liz McManus: I ask the Minister to have a very open view on this amendment. We tend to think in terms of adults when we talk about public service programming, but the reality is that children spend more time watching television than adults do. They are highly influenced by what they watch and the vast bulk of what they watch is foreign. A unique contribution can be made by RTE, which does provide...