Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

It is a privilege for me to be elected by the constituents of Dublin Rathdown, but I am a proud Monaghan woman and I appreciate the reference to us as neighbours each time I come in.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teach as cuireadh a thabhairt dom bualadh libh chun plé a dhéanamh ar Thuarascáil um Choimisiún na Meán. A diverse, vibrant and independent media sector is essential for our democracy, cultural development and wider society. However, with technological advances, how we consume media has changed dramatically. This has had a profound impact on traditional broadcasting, in particular, and the media sector in general. These changed viewing habits, as well as falling print sales and the resultant move from traditional revenue streams to online advertising mean that media companies have had to alter their business models. More and more, competition is global rather than national.

Beyond these commercial concerns, growing disinformation and misinformation challenges our democracy and our society, having the potential to undermine public confidence in news and information. The Government recognised this, and the programme for Government committed to the establishment of the Future of Media Commission to consider the future of print, broadcast, and online media. The commission was tasked with making recommendations to Government to ensure the future funding of public service media is sustainable, ensures independent editorial oversight and delivers value for money to the public.

The high level of interest shown in the work of the commission is a clear demonstration of how important the media sector is to society. The commission’s deliberations were informed by more than 800 public submissions, while more than 50 expert panellists took part in the online webinars along with 1,000 members of the public. The commission has fulfilled its remit to the highest standard and I am sure the Senators will join me in taking this opportunity to thank Professor Brian MacCraith and the commission members for their work in bringing this comprehensive report to fruition.

The commission’s comprehensive and timely report details both the challenges and opportunities for media companies in Ireland. The recommendations contained in the report are a blueprint for the Government to now build a framework to support the media sector to face the challenges ahead, and to continue its vital role in educating, informing and entertaining the public. The Government accepted, in principle, 49 of the 50 recommendations made by the commission, which demonstrates how positively it was received. However, the Government was unable to accept the commission’s recommendation to move to a fully Exchequer-funded model. A key consideration in this regard was the need to ensure the continued independence of media and minimise even the perceived risk of political interference, which could arise in a situation where public service media was fully dependent on Exchequer funding.

The Government also believes that any new or reformed funding model should retain and build on the existing revenue stream from the direct sale of television, TV, licences, which provides an important direct link between broadcasters and the Irish public, to maintain a link between the creation and consumption of media content. Furthermore, given the many pressing demands on the Exchequer, I am sure the Senators will appreciate that this is not the time to impose an additional burden on Exchequer funding.

However, the Government recognises the need to reform the TV licence model. A technical working group, led by my Department, has been set up and will report back to me in November on the practical steps that need to be taken to create a fairer, more efficient and more sustainable system. Both public service media and providers of public service content will benefit from the reform of the TV licence fee.A cornerstone of the Future of Media Commission’s report and recommendations is the establishment of a media commission, a new regulator with a wider remit to address the shift in media consumption. Such a new body, coimisiún na meán, is to be established under the provisions of the Online Safety and Media Regulation, OSMR, Bill 2022. The Bill will commence Second Stage next week in the Dáil, having been debated extensively in this House before the summer. I again thank Senators for their contributions and suggestions, many of which I was able to take on board on Committee Stage in the House.

An coimisiún will provide the regulatory and developmental framework to implement the commission’s report and two of the initial commissioner roles will play a significant role in delivering on the Government’s implementation of the Future of Media Commission report, the broadcasting commissioner and the media development commissioner. During the summer, the positions of executive chairperson, media development commissioner and online safety commissioner, were advertised by the Public Appointments Service, PAS, through public competitions. The appointment processes are continuing. In addition, the current CEO of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, BAI, will act as the interim broadcasting commissioner in coimisiún na meán.

Tectonic shifts in how media is produced and consumed mean that a media regulator cannot restrict itself to broadcasting; it must regulate and support the entire media sector and it must act with a sense of urgency. I secured funding for this year to support the establishment of an coimisiún so that it could hit the ground running. I am sure that Senators will agree that the broadcasting fund and the sound and vision scheme, which are operated by the BAI, have been successful in the creation of high-quality audiovisual content.

While it is primarily funded through the proceeds of TV licence receipts, I was delighted to secure significant additional Exchequer funds to increase support to the sector during the Covid-19 pandemic. I was also pleased to announce in May a further €10.5 million in additional funding for 2022. Some €5 million of this has been assigned for a special round of the sound and vision scheme, which will create programming related to climate change and climate action, and is being co-funded by my Department and the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications. A sum of €2 million has been earmarked for Irish language programming, €2 million for live music programming and a further €1.5 million has been assigned to general sound and vision programming. Notwithstanding this, I welcome the Future of Media Commission’s recommendation to significantly enhance the existing broadcasting fund, an expansion to a platform-neutral media fund. The BAI will commence work on the design of the new schemes, and of the six recommended schemes, I have prioritised those for local democracy reporting and court reporting. I expect that coimisiún na meán will be in a position to commence roll-out of these schemes in 2023.

The planned schemes have the potential to be transformative for local and regional media, including the print sector. The local democracy reporting scheme will help local media keep the public informed on areas such as regional health forums, joint policing committees and local authorities, among other areas. I agree with the commission that is it essential to support local media to provide comprehensive coverage of issues related to local democracy and to provide additional supports for counties with Gaeltachtaí.

Likewise, the courts reporting scheme will enable improved reporting from local, regional and national courts. Comprehensive, professional and publicly accessible reports of court proceedings are integral to our democratic process. While I have set out the priorities in this regard, other planned schemes will also play a significant role in supporting our media to meet the challenges they face. The digital transformation scheme will help traditional media adapt to the changing media landscape, while the access and training scheme will develop internships, bursaries, and diversity training opportunities for both new and existing staff. Senators will also appreciate how important it is to cover news that has high public interest but that is in danger of being under-reported and the proposed news reporting scheme will support the provision of news on topics we all care deeply about, such as the environment, equality and diversity.

I am sure that the Senators are as committed as I am to our national broadcaster. RTÉ is continuing to serve the public well. This was never so apparent and necessary as during the dark days of Covid-19 restrictions, when RTÉ played a very important role, together with other media, in keeping our people informed with reliable and trustworthy news. I welcome the commission’s recommendation that RTÉ develops a strategic capital asset management plan. This will help the organisation to optimise its use of available resources in the medium and long term. I also agree with the commission that RTÉ needs to complete its digital transformation by investing more in technology, particularly streaming services, such as the RTÉ Player. Through strategic planning, digital innovation, and the support of organisations like NewERA and coimisiún na meán, the organisation can build on its strengths as a key public service broadcaster.

The commission proposed that during the interim period of 2021-23, RTÉ, TG4 and the broadcasting fund should receive additional investment. The Government will now look again at the funding levels that were proposed, taking into account changes in the financial position and economic climate since the commission made its assessments. Funding decisions will need to be considered in the context of the ongoing budget and Estimates processes, and the competing demands on the Exchequer.

Like the commission, I applaud TG4 for its high-quality and innovative Irish language programming, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, with initiatives such as Cúla4 ar Scoil for families and teachers who were homeschooling. As a mother and a former teacher, I appreciate how important this initiative was and I was pleased to be able to provide supplementary funding of €1.9 million to TG4 in 2020 towards Covid-19 related costs. I also provided another €3.5 million in budget 2021 and €4.2 million in budget 2022 to TG4, with this year’s increase being the single largest increase provided to TG4. This has supported it so it can continue to develop high-quality content, increase its reach and support the Irish language creative sector.

Tugaim tús áite, ar leibhéal pearsanta agus mar Aire le freagracht as an nGaeltacht agus as an nGaeilge, do chur chun cinn agus forbairt na teanga. Tuigim go maith an ról tábhachtach atá ag na meáin chun freastal ar riachtanais agus mianta chainteoirí Gaeilge, chun cabhrú le daoine ar mhaith leo labhairt na Gaeilge a fhoghlaim agus chun straitéis 20 bliain an Rialtais don Ghaeilge a sheachadadh.

I very much support the commission’s recommendation that coimisiún na meán conduct a comprehensive review of Irish language provision, looking at the roles of TG4, Raidió na Gaeltachta, RTÉ and other content providers. We need to avoid duplications and find synergies and to attract new audiences. Irish language broadcasting is a priority for the BAI, and the sound and vision scheme already allocates a quarter of its funding to Irish language projects. New media fund schemes will also be accessible to Irish language projects. The local democracy reporting scheme and the community media scheme should be of particular interest to Irish language media.

The commission’s report details the challenges the print sector faces in Ireland and how deeply the commission consulted with the industry. National, regional and local newspapers will benefit from the expanded media fund. The radio sector will also have much to gain, both from the widening of the sound and vision scheme to support news content and from new media fund schemes, such as the media access and training scheme, the community media scheme and digital transformation scheme. A diversity and inclusion strategy for sports reporting and broadcasting will also be developed, as coimisiún na meán and Sport Ireland develop a strategic plan for sports broadcasting. We must showcase more sports across multiple platforms and work together to create a more active population.

Another area in which many organisations will need to work together to achieve a common aim is the fight against disinformation. I completely agree with the commission’s recommendation that we need to develop a national counter-disinformation strategy to explore how to combat the growing problem of disinformation. My Department will lead on the development of such a strategy in the coming months, in conjunction with the Tánaiste’s Department, which is overseeing the Digital Services Act.

More generally, coimisiún na meán will promote sustainability in broadcast, print and online media by setting sustainability standards for media fund schemes. The BAI’s existing sustainability network will be expanded to include all of the sector. Gender equality standards have shown themselves to be highly effective under the sound and vision scheme. In the most recent round, more than 50% of TV funding went to projects in which half or more of the key production roles are filled by women.However, I agree with the commission’s recommendation that we go further in addressing equality, diversity and inclusion, EDI, not only in the content the sector provides but within the media sector itself. The recommendations on EDI standards, increased research and auditing and the establishment of diversity boards will all play a part in ensuring the sector is a true reflection of our society today.

The Future of Media Commission report is a comprehensive document with far-reaching recommendations. I look forward to hearing Members’ thoughts and contributions. Gabhaim buíochas leis na Seanadóirí as a gcuid ama inniu.