John Paul Phelan (Fine Gael)

I echo the sentiments of Senators O'Toole and Cummins. We have all received correspondence from various groups, from both inside and outside the State, on this issue. The points Senator O'Toole made are well made, especially on emigrant groups in Britain that have maintained contact with Ireland over the years, largely through the medium of radio. The loss of the service is considerable to them. The only contact many of those in bedsits had with home was through the Irish national broadcaster.

Since RTE is the national broadcaster, its remit is surely to broadcast not only to those who reside on the island of Ireland but also to those nationals who are forced, often through no fault of their own, to live across the Irish Sea. The service provided to them for years was very good. Reference was made to the importance of providing a service to those interested in sports organisations, including the GAA. I agree with this.

I received a number of e-mails from residents in certain parts of Ireland who are having difficulty receiving a signal, including individuals in west Cork and parts of the south east. Senator O'Toole stated Deputy Brian O'Shea raised this issue in the Dáil. The Senator also referred to Radio Algérienne broadcasting at an output strength eight times greater than that of RTE. This is causing difficulty and the signal is much clearer than that of RTE in certain parts of Ireland. I support the amendment fully and urge the Minister of State to accept it.

The nub of the issue concerns the national broadcaster broadcasting to the nation. I have no problem paying my licence fees and, as with Senator O'Toole, I defend RTE, but it is badly wrong on this issue. It has spread disinformation. I was not aware of Senator O'Toole's letters. There are clear contradictions in the information presented to the committee and the Minister. This needs to be explained but has not been to date.

Senator O'Toole made a good point on national emergencies, during which transmission is vital. The point was made to me in an e-mail that fishermen rely on RTE for weather forecasts. Quite often, they operate some distance from the mainland and are placed in jeopardy if they cannot receive a signal from RTE. This should be taken on board. I urge the Minister of State to accept all the grouped amendments and hope he can produce some formula of words that will resolve the problem and ensure RTE can broadcast at full strength such that a clear signal will be received not only by people on the island of Ireland but also by Irish communities in the United Kingdom.