Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Personally, I believe it would be a huge pity if we decided to alter the perspective that all parties and people who are not members of any parties have always had on public service broadcasting. They have always recognised the importance of having, as Senator Whelan described it, the public service broadcaster - and, of course, it is not peculiar to it - stand up for high standards, strong content, quality broadcasting and editorial independence. These are all the qualities we associate with public service broadcasting and all the things we expect from it.

However, it must be funded in some way. The method of funding in this country is through a television licence fee. It is already an anachronism, because there is no radio licence. However, consider how enormously the world has changed since the 1960s and even since the introduction of commercial radio and television in Ireland. People use many different platforms to watch television, to say nothing of how they listen to radio. People can listen to radio on their mobile telephones. They can even listen to American radio stations on their telephones. The debate about a broadcasting charge has grown from this acknowledgement that the pattern of viewing, where people view their television, how they do so and all of the different devices they can employ to watch television have changed and expanded remarkably.

To return to the basic philosophy, if we are having a debate we must discuss all issues and admit all points of view. However, my strong view is that public service broadcasting is as important now as it ever has been. Arguably, it is even more important. It requires funding and the method of funding should be subject to debate in the Oireachtas, because the funding mechanism is a statutory one and this House has a role in setting down the law and changing it, if that is what we decide to do. That is my first general point.

The second point, arising from what Senator Mooney and others stated, relates to how, while recognising and upholding the importance of public service broadcasting, we recognise the critical role played by commercial broadcasters and in particular, although not solely, local radio stations and those outside the main cities, although Senator Mooney referred to those outside Dublin. We must recognise that many of those stations face real commercial pressures notwithstanding that they are commercial propositions. This is a point I made earlier and which irritates people sometimes but it must be made for the record. People came into a bidding process for a licence with their eyes wide open, knowing that this was a commercial proposition and that they would either rise or fall on that basis. They needed to make money and presumably they had a business plan to ensure that they would. That aside, and I do not wish to labour that point because it might not be helpful to remind people of it all of the time, let us consider how one could get more supports and recognition for commercial local radio. There are two ways. Either one reduces their overheads in some way or finds a way to ensure that their overheads or costs are reduced or else one finds ways of channelling more money to them. There are not many different ways of doing these things. People here and elsewhere have canvassed the idea of having more of the licence fee go to commercial stations and commercial radio. I will return to that in a moment.

The other option, as Senator Mooney and others have suggested - I raised it previously and prepared to debate its merits - would be to see if there is a case for the levy that is raised to fund the regulator coming from the licence fee, which would then remove the requirement for the stations to pay out or write a cheque, as it were, for the BAI periodically. I believe there is a case for that. The problem is that we have a limited pot at present in terms of the funds that derive from payment of the licence fee. We had this debate this morning in the committee. My view is that we would have to grow that pot before we could contemplate migrating the levy away from the broadcasters and into the licence fee fund. I believe there is a good case for it. It emphasises even more the need to look quickly at how we can increase compliance with payment of the licence fee. If the new broadcast charge is introduced, and I believe it will be, it will be down the road. It is certainly not something this Government will introduce, as we have made clear. It may well be that the next Government, whoever it will be, will consider it.

It is coming, but not very quickly, so we must work out ways in which we can increase compliance with payment of the licence fee. I intend to bring forward proposals in that respect. I have mentioned them previously. Until we grow that pot, we cannot really contemplate the idea that has been advocated, that the regulator be funded from the licence fee. Otherwise, one would have to reduce the funding that is going somewhere else.