Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail)

Go raibh maith agat. Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. Tréaslaím leis de bharr a cheapacháin mar Aire Stáit. Tá áthas orm bheith in ann labhairt ar an mBille seo inniu. Níl aon amhras faoi ná gur reachtaíocht an-bhunúsach atá i gceist anseo. Beidh béim ag an reachtaíocht seo ar ghnáth-saol gach duine ar an oileán. Is rud réabhlóideach é, i slí, ós rud é go gcruthaíonn sé na hathruithe atá tagtha ar chúrsaí chraolacháin ó aimsir 2RN. Is dócha nach bhfuil an reachtaíocht seo ag teacht ró-luath, i ndáiríre. Bhí géarghá leis le tamall. Tá súil agam go mbeidh an Bille in ann an seirbhís agus an struchtúr ceart a thabhairt dúinn maidir le cúrsaí craolacháin ar an oileán.

There is no doubt that this is exceptionally comprehensive legislation. In many ways it responds to the fundamental changes which have taken place in Irish broadcasting since the days of 2RN. Perhaps none of us in the House is old enough to remember 2RN but we certainly hear reference made to it by older people who tell us that they spoke on that station or played music on it. They were very simple days and there was a unique partnership at that time between the public broadcasting service, limited though it was, and the general public or community at large. That partnership was very important to the growth of Irish broadcasting and to its success. As broadcasting develops and as competition grows it is important that we do not lose that rapport. Loyalty to any particular service comes from that rapport. In competition terms, the Irish broadcasting service will be competing with the global service. There are perhaps two ways of ensuring that customer loyalty continues, one being to give people the feeling that they have ownership of that service. I do not mean "ownership" in any statutory way but as a sense of belonging, so that people feel that their aspirations, beliefs and ambitions are being reflected by the service.

I wish to reflect, briefly, on whence we have come. It is only right that we should pay tribute to RTE. We have seen it grow from a fledgling service to the very professional one it is now. I remember talking to people from the BBC after the visit of Pope John Paul II to Ireland. BBC technicians and cameramen came to support and complement the RTE service because of the multi-faceted nature of the visit and the number of locations that had to be covered. The BBC representatives said they had seldom witnessed organisational ability such as they had seen from RTE on that occasion. That comment came from a service outside the country.

A good effort has been made to reflect the Irish ethos, even as it has become multi-cultural in recent times, particularly so on RTE Radio 1. Those of us who listen regularly to that station as we drive have an affinity with what is broadcast. I do not believe this is because we fit into any particular age group. It is important that we do not think of everything in an empty, superficial or an instantaneous manner. If future generations do not wish to engage in anything of depth, it will not be their fault, rather that of the diet on which they will have been raised, their broadcasting environment. We must always guard against that.

Local radio was a spin-off from RTE. I can recall the early days of experimental community radio when RTE sent its outside broadcasting unit to many towns, including Cashel. We were given an opportunity to dip a toe in the water and run a community radio station for a week, with RTE's assistance. In Cashel, which has a population of 3,000 people, an archive was created during that week, a social, cultural and sporting archive which will be very important in years to come. We produced one of the first soap operas on radio when we took Charles J. Kickham's "Knocknagow" and divided it into subsections as a serial over seven days. Everybody was waiting for the conclusion. Community radio would not have been there but for RTE. At one stage I thought that as local radio developed there would be an interaction with RTE whereby we would have access to its archives, services and expertise, rather than having to put those structures together ourselves. It did not happen in that way.

To its credit we must point to TG4. Mr. Cathal Goan was mentioned as its pioneer and he did an excellent job there. Prior to that there was Raidió na Gaeltachta. Professionalism and the presence of young people were hallmarks of both stations. People might have associated the Irish language with members of an older generation and they might also have had a perception that, of necessity, such a television station might have been amateurish. It is neither amateurish nor is it monopolised by older people. Even those who might have no interest in the language will readily admit that they tune into TG4 every so often. Having tuned in for the sport initially, they are now viewing other programmes. I am glad TG4 is being recognised as an entity in its own right in the legislation. Given its actions alone, it deserves this. We hope it will be always resourced properly so it can continue with its work.

I have been concerned for some time over the development of monopolies in local radio. In the print media, Scottish Radio Holdings has been mopping up one local newspaper after another. In my area, I can point to the Tipperary Star, the Clonmel Nationalist and the Kilkenny People. One can add to the list, which suggests there is a huge monopoly developing. A similar one is developing in the world of local radio. If this occurs, it will be totally at variance with what was intended for local radio.

Local radio was intended to reflect the local community, including its aspirations, talents and desire for knowledge. In that regard, local radio has done magnificent work. One need only look at the ratings to determine how successful some local stations have been. The success very often attracts the investment vultures and we must be always on the alert. We must ensure there is a legislative base to prevent a monopoly from developing.

I cannot think of any phenomenon more potent in energising the local community than local radio. Many of the hang-ups and agendas that have developed in the national broadcasting service, very often because of there being a limited number of people with total control of the service, must not arise in local radio. We must, therefore, be particularly careful.

I stated on a number of occasions in the House that I could never understand why religious broadcasting was not allowed on the national radio stations. In the main, whatever group the advertising came from——