Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)

I join colleagues in welcoming the Minister and his officials. I am pleased to have the opportunity to make a few brief points on the Bill which, as we have heard, is primarily designed to amend the Broadcasting (Major Events Television Coverage) Act 1999. I welcome the Bill which will have positive implications for all citizens in terms of free live television access to sports events of major and significant importance to our society.

With the evolution of information technology over the past decade and the introduction of digital television and pay-per-view programming, sporting aficionados have become aware of inequities which threaten their access to certain live televised sports events which are critical to the social fabric of the nation. The circumstances we find ourselves faced with are the result of the exploitation of the genuine needs of sports event organisers by the material greed of pay-per-view and subscription broadcasters. This scenario emerged last year with regard to access to international soccer matches. I congratulate the Minister for his speedy action to ensure all sports events of major national importance are available to the vast majority of citizens, not just those with the means to afford subscriptions to pay-per-view television channels.

One of the primary functions of the Bill is to ensure qualifying broadcasters are in a position to secure access to sports events intrinsic to Irish life and air them to the public without additional charges. The legislation will allow qualifying broadcasters to make an application to the High Court, whether an exclusive contract is in place with a non-qualifying broadcaster, to guarantee live access to national sports events. The Bill provides for an arbitration mechanism to determine reasonable market rates and conditions where a qualifying broadcaster and an event organiser have been unable to agree a price. Extensive work, consultation with relevant bodies and liaison with the European Commission have been undertaken by the Minister in bringing the legislation forward to ensure the public is not denied live access. All citizens are entitled to view and enjoy notable sports events and live access should not be determined on the depth of one's pockets and the level of one's affluence. Thanks to this legislation, we can all enjoy and, let us hope, celebrate future Irish sporting successes live on television, from the Olympic Games to home and away qualifying games in the European Championships and the FIFA World Cup and from the Grand National to the Derby.

I understand Ireland's Rugby World Cup games are to be included as special events of national importance, which I welcome. I ask the Minister to explain the reason each of Ireland's games in the Six Nations Championship is only to be covered on a deferred basis. Surely, there is a greater public demand to view the Six Nations Championship, rather than the World Cup, which is the reason we should revisit the Bill's provisions in this regard. Appropriate steps should be taken to ensure each of these matches is accessible live by the public.