Kevin Humphreys (Labour) | Oireachtas source

RTE has referred to a challenging financial environment and reducing operation costs. I suggest one reduction in its operation cost is the €4,300 a month it pays to the Phoenix for full-page advertisements. While talking about a challenging financial environment, it is happy to waste that sort of money. The Minister needs to challenge whether we are getting value for money.

We also had an oblique reference to RTE's coverage of the Dáil and Seanad. We are giving it €180 million and it has a remit for public service broadcasting. I know it has very small viewing figures, but RTE gets €180 million to cover politics and the arts. At the committee meeting, the director general said one of her journalists was discussing moving coverage of this House, committees and the Dáil to the digital platform. Yesterday, I was critical of Deputy Dooley. However, he was the only one awake at the committee and picked up on it. That is clearly what was referred to at the committee. We are giving RTE €180 million to cover the arts and politics, and the new director general is talking about moving the coverage to the digital stream and using a journalist to quietly lobby for support around the House, and is meeting journalists on a regular basis.

Ministers are putting off decisions on the funding of public service broadcasting. We had a do-nothing Dáil and we now have a do-nothing Minister in this area. There are serious questions to be asked as to how RTE will nurture future broadcasting talent and over its oblique reference at the committee to how it will cover politics.