Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I understand it is the Leader's intention to invite the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to address the House in the near future. Perhaps that could be the occasion for us to get the opportunity to renew our discussion on the funding of public service broadcasting in this country. The programme for Government made a commitment to review the funding of public and independent broadcasting and it is important we see change in this area. The independent broadcasters of Ireland have spoken clearly and have voiced legitimate concern about the fact that RTE has an unfettered commercial mandate and enjoys the lion's share of public broadcasting moneys. Some 80% of the sound and vision fund, which was set up to assist independent broadcasting companies ends up going back to RTE anyway.

RTE enjoys a complete monopoly of the budget, yet there is hardly a politician in the House who, for example, does not tune in regularly to the death notices on local radio, to coverage of local sporting and cultural events or to programmes catering for local cultural taste. If there is one thing we can all be sure of, it is that over the past 20 years or so local radio has contributed hugely to quality of life in this country.