Seanad debates

Tuesday, 4 November 2003

Broadcasting (Funding) Bill 2003: Second Stage.

 

One of the more welcome aspects of this scheme is the opportunities it will create for independent production companies, as commercial broadcasters will outsource the actual production of such public service programmes. I expect that the broadcasters will be inundated with new programme suggestions from independent producers. This is exactly as it should be. The independent production sector is one that we want to encourage as much as possible. It must be remembered that after the broadcaster has paid the production company for the work, something must be left over for the broadcaster to make it worth its while to give up the valuable air time for the programme. It is vital that in drawing up the scheme, the BCI allows for this factor. If it does not, all the money will go to RTE because it would be the only broadcaster looking for them. There is hardly much point in passing an Act of the Oireachtas and setting up an elaborate scheme, if it only results in RTE getting back the 5% of the licence fee that was taken away from it. There will be no problem in getting RTE to apply for the funding. The main problem is to prevent it from drawing on the fund to make programmes it should make. I term this the "lottery effect". We know how much former Government spending was diverted to lottery funds. While this was always denied, we all recognise it happened.

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