Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Anyone in this House or outside who had the opportunity to see the "RTÉ Investigates" programme last night will recognise the important work that is done by RTÉ as a public service broadcaster. At a time when we are challenged with regard to the funding of such an organisation, it should be a reminder to us that we have a duty as public representatives to ensure that we try to rebuild that funding model to ensure that that organisation continues to do its excellent work.

The content of the programme was shocking but it shone a light on the misuse and abuse of the planning process, showing that at a time when we very much need to be building more houses, a number of individuals could frustrate the process to the detriment of young couples who want to occupy their home. It is shameful and needs to be addressed. I took a call early this morning on my way to Dublin from somebody third hand who relayed to me a very similar situation about a building project in the west of Ireland involving hundreds of houses. An individual, who had previously been a candidate for the local elections in another jurisdiction, had attempted to extort close to €500,000 from developers. They refused to pay and threatened legal action. When they did, a senior politician involved himself to look for leniency for the individual. Unfortunately, the development has not gone ahead and, based upon the third-hand information provided to me, I expect that there will be legal action. The effort to extort the money would seem to have been far more daring than what we saw last night.

I can only conclude from what I have seen in the programme, and the bits and pieces of information that I have been picking up over the course of the morning, that this practice may be more widespread. I want a debate in this House on the abuse of the planning process and I want the Government to bring forward a plan fairly quickly to address these legacy issues. I suggest that a special unit be established within An Garda Síochána to look into what will, undoubtedly, be numerous bits of information coming forward. It should not be for us to investigate. That is the principal job of An Garda Síochána.

We saw the best of RTÉ last night and the worst of it yesterday. GAAGO is putting many matches behind a paywall. RTÉ would be wise to understand, in an effort to rebuild confidence among the public and in expecting the State to fund its operations, that putting so many games behind a paywall is wrong. I was particularly incensed by the comments of the president of the GAA, who would do well to remember his role. It was recognised in this House by him being given an opportunity to address us. When he was asked what GAAGO made last year, he said it covered its expenses. That kind of obfuscation is unnecessary. One of its spokespeople came on the radio this morning on "Morning Ireland" and told us it needs to collect this money because it needs to build facilities. Most of the funding that goes into building those facilities is provided by this State.