Barry Ward (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise an issue that is a personal bugbear but is something I see as an increasing issue in Irish broadcasting, that is, the use of British advertising and culturally British advertising, and that of other countries, particularly America, in Irish broadcasting. What I mean by that is the use of British norms, British accents and British terminology in radio and television advertising here.I have two problems with it. First, there is a cultural aspect to it which I personally find offensive but that is less of a problem. The greater problem is that when an ad is run on Irish radio or television with a British accent, it tells us that ad was produced in the United Kingdom, in Britain, and probably in London. It tells us there has been an absolute abandonment of the various companies and entities in this jurisdiction which provide exactly that service. It tells us the person generating that ad sees no distinction between the Irish and British markets. Not only is it taking away from the fact we are a different market with different sensibilities and different things that encourage us to buy, not buy or whatever it may be, but it also takes away from businesses and the economic benefit of advertising in this jurisdiction. We should call in the relevant Minister to have a debate to ask for the State to do something to encourage particularly State broadcasting entities but also other broadcasting entities in Ireland to invest in Irish advertising, Irish ad makers and Irish media companies producing advertising for the Irish market.