Seanad debates

Wednesday, 15 October 2003

Criminal Justice (Temporary Release of Prisoners) Bill 2001: Committee Stage. - Local Radio Licensing: Motion.

 

I make an important distinction between the issue of independence and accountability because the granting of a licence is a powerful role for anybody. The Oireachtas has given the BCI this role. We set it up and we have given it the power to award and, indeed, take away licences but it is necessary to review how that is going. The issue of an appeals mechanism was considered important and I ask the Minister to give serious consideration to the establishment of an appeals mechanism in the new legislation. We are not talking about setting up another layer of bureaucracy. It is not our intention to take the power of decision from the BCI and give it to another body. Our intention is to ensure there is general agreement abroad that there is accountability of decision making. The whole question of the transparency of the decision-making process is linked and is important in its own right. People have to know, particularly when the decision affects them, be they the owners, workers or listeners of the station, that the decision was made in a transparent way and that there is accountability for the decision.

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