Michael Finucane (Fine Gael)

I agree with the previous speaker on Dr. Paisley' s recent interview. While the man is 80 years of age, he has mellowed a great deal. His comments create hope for the future in the North. Members should reflect on the situation with the peace process before Christmas. At that time a photograph was holding up the process. There was the famous meeting outside St. Luke's in Drumcondra when the Taoiseach said Sinn Féin would not accept the request for photographic evidence as it did not want to be humiliated. However, Dr. Paisley was adamant at the time. If we had proceeded then, the subsequent and amazing sequence of events would have had a serious impact on the process, with the Government ending up with egg on its face. It indirectly owes a debt of gratitude to Dr. Paisley for sticking to his principles.

In December 2003, legislation was introduced giving the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland 5% of the television licence fee. It has now built up a pool of approximately €17 million, yet not one euro of this has been paid to any radio or television broadcasting station. What is happening to this pool of money and when will it be paid out? It is shocking that nothing has happened since the legislation was introduced in 2003.