Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the publication last month of the report on the future funding of public broadcasting. My colleague, Deputy Brian Stanley, is a member of the committee that produced the report and I acknowledge the role of many stakeholders in the sector that made submissions.

What Sinn Féin certainly does not agree with is any increase in the licence fee. There is currently a two-year review under way.

One part of the report that we are totally opposed to is using Revenue to collect licence fees. While we accept that there is widespread evasion - that is clear for all to see - and that this means increased amounts for those who pay, we believe that having Revenue collect it will simply lead to those already paying and those on low incomes being hit the hardest.

During the committee's deliberation, there were many alternatives to Revenue as the main collector put forward, such as a registration scheme. There could also be a registration scheme once consumers sign up for various services, such as cable or satellite. Therefore, we argue that An Post should continue to collect the fee and that there needs to be better methods of collecting data as well.

Public service broadcasting, far from becoming outdated, is becoming more vital in light of recent developments. The era of fake news both on TV and online means that news providers in which the public has a stake are more important than ever. While we may not always agree with what the national broadcaster shows or with the opinions expressed, at least there is a complaints mechanism and some form of monitoring. I take the opportunity to commend RTÉ on its recent "National Treasures" show. That was a valuable exercise, an all-island initiative that reached out to all of the communities on this island.

In Ireland, there have been many attempts by individuals to gain control of a large portion of the media. As a result, we need greater oversight of the handling of media mergers by the Government. It is essential that Ireland has a diverse media that can accommodate broad political and civil debate and the free exchange of ideas.

A free and open media requires the Irish language, gender representation and ethnic and religious minorities should be allowed adequate space in the media market. The promotion of the Irish language in broadcasting is essential to the language as a whole. TG4, broadcasting under the "SúiI Eile" slogan, has done sterling work, not only in promoting Irish language and culture, but in offering an alternative narrative. TG4 is highly respected and the Government should be willing to offer its support. We also need pressure on the British Government to ensure the permanency of the Irish language broadcast fund and the ongoing production of Irish language programming from the Six Counties.

Another issue the report dealt with was the possibility of using licence fee revenue to support local radio stations. Even though these are technically commercial entities, there is a valid argument that they provide a vital public service element through news, announcements and promotion of community projects.

On the issue of social media and its usage, I wholeheartedly oppose the abuse, trolling and vilification of individuals on social media platforms. In the world of politics, two women, Ms Carla Lockhart MLA of the DUP and my own colleague, Ms Michaela Boyle MLA, have been the subject of nasty and anonymous abuse on Twitter.This is wrong. I also appeal to those who think that engaging with politicians in such an abusive and dehumanising way will ever achieve anything. It merely diminishes us as a society if this is how we get our messages across. Amnesty International recently published a report on the abuse faced by women, especially on social media such as Twitter. An Irish Newsjournalist in her story told of how criticism of her articles was mostly followed by sectarian and sexist abuse. The role of journalists is vital and it is important that they feel safe in doing their job. Twitter also has a responsibility to make its platform a safer and less toxic space for women.