Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Acting Chair. Hopefully, we will get out by 9 p.m. This is a major amendment for us in respect of the content levy. It is concerned with setting a date for its introduction and setting a percentage for that levy that will be not less than 3% and not more than 5% of revenues. The funds raised would go towards independent Irish productions. Ultimately, this is about providing certainty to the sector.

I had the pleasure of studying film and television production in Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology for my third-level education. Galway being the place it is, home to TG4 and a UNESCO City of Film, it was always driven home to us the struggle and the campaign that was required to create TG4. I refer to the work that went into establishing the film tax credit in section 481 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 and all the supports required for film-making in Ireland.I refer to how Ireland pulled out all the stops for film-making, for example, for "Braveheart" with the Defence Forces, and the campaign to create Bord Scannán na hÉireann - the Irish Film Board - originally. This content levy is a moment similar to those initiatives. An Indecon report highlighted the fact we could possibly be looking at €24 million, not in Exchequer funding but in a different funding stream, coming in support of Irish independent productions. The other thing we always learned in college was that it was important for Irish people to be able to see themselves and their stories on screen, and this is what this is about.

This Bill is an opportunity to introduce new funding at no cost to the Exchequer. It would simply keep funding that currently leaves the country to international corporations and use it instead to fund the creation of original Irish content, create employment in Ireland and allow for the development of Irish stories for Irish audiences. This is becoming more important as new streaming services arrive and more content is available across people's screens, making it harder for people to find stories that resonate with their experiences and their nationhood.

The opportunities and the benefit, some of which I have mentioned, are as follows: the creation of an additional funding source for original Irish content; the creation of the conditions to allow Irish production companies to compete further on the international market by giving opportunities for new audiences to see Irish stories; the development of original intellectual property, which has become a cornerstone of international content creation and would allow Irish producers to license their product to other countries and build up scale in the international market; regional development, because at the heart of independent production in Ireland are SMEs working in the regions and a content levy fund investment in these producers is an investment in regional development; and screen tourism, because new investment would bring new employment to the sector, with high-end television drama, in particular, requiring hundreds of cast and crew over a prolonged shoot, and the high-quality content created would offer another opportunity to showcase Ireland as a compelling tourist destination. We have seen that. I need not tell anyone here the importance of film in that regard.

All members of the committee will be aware that key recommendations relating to the content levy included identifying the party responsible for the content levy, the percentage value of the levy, that specific provisions in the Bill be made in that regard, that providers be liable to pay the levy as well, and the ability of Irish independent producers to solely access the fund. These have all received cross-party support at the Oireachtas joint committee.

The longer we delay the levy, which is the reason we have put a commencement date on this amendment, the longer money will leave Irish consumers and go to the international streaming services with no guarantee of original Irish content, the outcome of which is Irish people paying for streaming services that have a small minority of Irish content to view on them.

I also want to address a piece about intellectual property, IP. The importance of copyright protection for the cultural economy and creative economy cannot be underestimated. This area of law must be updated so that creators can earn a fair income from their work. Copyright is the principal tool by which creators can generate a sustainable income and wealth, and to protect their share of the value they create.

I will await the Minister's response on that. I suppose I could sit down and we could deal with amendment No. 208. I am sure other Senators want to come in.