Pádraig Ó Céidigh (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The issue Senator Kieran O'Donnell raises is the one I would also like to address. It is extremely important. I spent two years on the board of RTÉ from 2014 to 2016. On three occasions I asked the Leader to invite in the Minister to have a discussion on this issue.These were in November 2017, January 2018 and October 2019. It is more urgent than ever. I strongly believe that a public broadcaster is critically important for our country. RTÉ provides an amazing service but, as the Senator has rightly said, we need to have a broad discussion about public broadcasting in general and a specific discussion about RTÉ. The only way we can do that is if the Minister comes in and we hold a proper debate on the issue. Members across the House are in support of that. I will not go into detail on the matter, but I am seriously concerned for many of the 2,000 employees who suddenly found out that they may not have jobs in a couple of months. It is a huge issue.

The other issue is the small and medium-sized businesses that provide production services and so on to RTÉ. Where do they stand? There has been a cut of something like 50% to the budget allocated to those businesses over the past six or seven years. That will probably now be totally wiped out. Again, I urge our esteemed Leader to ensure the Minister comes in for a proper debate on this vital service to our communities and to Ireland as a whole.