Joe O'Toole (Independent)

I know. I apologise. However, I could not find the magic words, to "educate, inform and entertain", which used to appear on RTE's objectives. Do they still remain extant somewhere or are they included in this fine legislation? I have been unable to find them and the Minister of State should reassure me that it is still part of RTE's requirements to do exactly that.

As for what I have said in RTE's favour, I now wish to balance it by making a point that has been made by a number of Members. It is of great importance that independent radio production should be supported. At present that sector receives €500,000 and has asked for it to be increased to €1 million. This assistance should be increased to approximately 3%, which would be more than €1 million. The reason for this is that I love radio. At this time of the afternoon on every week day, BBC Radio 4 broadcasts afternoon theatre. While I do not suggest that we could afford to do so in Ireland, other British radio stations, such as BBC 7, use much independent production and even BBC Radio 4 now does so. I also refer to Oneword Radio, which is a radio station owned by Channel 4 that appears to be off the air at present. However, it is coming back with two new radio channels. Radio is a growing part of the communications sector and I ask the Minister of State and his advisers to take on board this issue. Not enough money is available and I do not propose taking it from RTE. Money is available and this simply is a distribution issue. It could be for programmes that might be broadcast or re-broadcast on RTE. However, independent radio production must be supported, cultivated and allowed to develop. It should be a sector in which career option exist, rather than one in which the practitioners try to work from month to month while wondering how to survive in future. These people are creative and are as important to us as are the RTE Players or RTE drama. This measure should be taken. Similarly, I also will insist that the 5% funding that RTE currently receives from the sound and vision schemes should be maintained as it is written at present in the Broadcasting (Funding) Act 2003. I want this to be maintained and will argue the point again on Committee Stage because of the balance of the work that RTE performs.

I stood up in this House and in three other places, namely in a committee, within the GAA and within the trade union movement, to support RTE's change from medium wave to long-wave broadcasts. I supported the move in good faith because I used to be able to listen in my car to RTE long wave from Edinburgh to London. The reception is better, it has a longer reach and is to be recommended. However, I recently have discovered that RTE is not broadcasting at full power.