Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)

I shall address those three issues. Regarding the first, impartiality, the reason section 42 has a specific provision that "broadcast treatment of current affairs, including matters which are either of public controversy or the subject of current public debate, is fair to all interests concerned and that the broadcast matters is presented in an objective and impartial manner and without an expression of the broadcaster's own views" is to try to ensure that those high standards apply.

The second point concerned employment issues and obviously the key role is for NERA or other employment bodies to be taken into account. I wanted to include this as an amendment to signal the concern that it is important there should be high standards and high wages. We cannot have a broadcasting industry which, because of commercial pressures, might rely for staff on a large number of part-time, freelance or younger people. The specifics of employment law depend on other agencies and legislation, but it is important to signal that we want a proper industry in which people have long-term career prospects and resources are deployed in such a way as to allow people to conduct investigative research and to ask good questions.

I wish to confirm to Senator O'Toole the provision in respect of children. If the broadcasting authority takes into account evidence of what children are watching and what the main audiences are, it can introduce stricter codes that could exclude such advertising in the times mentioned by the Senator.