Derek McDowell (Labour)

Senator Mooney made an interesting contribution to the Second Stage discussion last week when he pointed out that RTE uses rolled-over fixed-term contracts. It does so, I suppose, largely to give it flexibility, in so far as it may want Senator Mooney's particular type of music one year but may not want it the next because it may not be as popular. Presumably, it also does wants to maintain a certain flexibility in terms of the rights which it gives employees because if it does not get a licence fee increase – although I accept that it got one this year – or it is under pressure financially, it may not necessarily be in a position to employ people full-time.

Let us leave Senator Mooney out of this and take it, for the sake of argument, that RTE says it wants flexibility because it is not sure a programme will be popular. Is that a sufficient reason to justify a fixed-term contract rather than employing somebody? If it says that it does not know how much money the Government will give it next year, or how much money it will make from advertising and therefore it needs flexibility in regard to how many people it has on its books, is that a good objective reason for a fixed-term contract? Is it envisaged that such reasons would be considered sufficient?