Rónán Mullen (Independent)

I thank all the speakers for their support of my now, sadly, doomed proposed amendment. I am disappointed there are no words of comfort from the Minister of State. I had hoped that at the very least this matter would be considered and it is not too late for him to change his mind, in my view. The main argument put forward by the Minister of State was that since RTE had not proposed it, nor suggested it wanted it, the Government did not see fit to go ahead with it. This fails to take account of our duty as legislators, which is to legislate for the common good and in the public interest and having regard to the things we know are needed by our constituents and the public. That RTE has not yet come up with the bright idea of a heritage channel is not something we should celebrate nor does it justify inaction on our part. That this is an idea, the time for which has come, was highlighted in the comments of Senators O'Reilly, Norris, Walsh and Buttimer. I thank those Senators for supporting these amendments and particularly the amendment providing for the heritage channel. I thank them also for their very kind words.

Other amendments which I have tabled take account of the fact that more than 10% of the population, at least, is over 65 years of age. With due respect to the Minister of State, and I know he has a job to do, I did not hear anything to reassure me that more account will be taken of the needs of that section of our population than is the case at present. I stress that the idea of the heritage channel is not aimed just at those over 65. In that context, I welcome Senator O'Reilly's contribution and reassure him that what I had in mind would not only provide for a heritage channel that would be of interest to the Irish abroad, to tourists and to older people whose current needs are not being met by what is on offer in public broadcasting — one would not wish to see a ghettoisation — but it would also mean greater recognition of the needs and tastes of older people in society in the content of the other channels, as their numbers demand no less.

I will press this amendment to a vote. I had hoped that at the very least the Government would give this further consideration and come back on Report Stage with a more definitive and hopefully more positive response. I thank my colleagues for their support. This issue will not go away. The idea was warmly received by interested parties. I hope the Government will see fit to bring forward an initiative in this area at some stage, and sooner rather than later.