Seanad debates

Tuesday, 4 November 2003

Broadcasting (Funding) Bill 2003: Second Stage.

 

While the Bill refers to the type of activities for which funding will be provided, community stations offer the particular type of programmes that conform to its objectives. The Minister has said that the funding could probably be increased to €8 million per year. However, by the time legislation goes through and the Bill is enacted, it could be in excess of that because it goes back to the time when the increased funding was applied to RTE. In that context, if the Minister truly wanted to promote community radio – and he mentioned in the forum on broadcasting that he would try to encourage community involvement and community radio – it should be possible in this Bill to ring-fence an amount of funding specifically for community radio. This would conform with the objectives of this Bill, whether cultural or historical and with the other activities which it embraces.

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