Shane Ross (Independent)
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This matter relates to the need for the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to ensure that RTE's FM service is received all over Northern Ireland, thereby enabling residents of that jurisdiction to access RTE. The Minister of State will be well aware that this issue does not divide but rather unites the communities in Northern Ireland. It is a non-denominational matter, in respect of which people in both communities felt aggrieved for much of the past year.

The problem is simple. On 24 March RTE decided to axe its medium wave service, which could be received in Northern Ireland. It was a very strange decision for a public service broadcaster because it appears the public service mandate of RTE only runs as far as the Border. I am sure it will not surprise the Minister of State to hear that there is a large number of people living in Northern Ireland who do not necessarily depend on RTE for their news but who enjoy it. That also applies to people in the United Kingdom.

The decision to axe medium wave was inexplicable. The response from RTE was that it was switched to FM and that is perfectly adequate for every citizen in this part of Ireland. Unfortunately, FM does not reach every pocket in Northern Ireland. I have constituents there and have received complaints from rural and urban constituents that they can no longer receive RTE because of this extraordinary decision. It appears RTE also has plans to resolve this but, in the meantime, those plans have not been fulfilled and there are still many people in Northern Ireland who feel very frustrated.

It should be pointed out to the Minister that the Good Friday Agreement includes a great deal of verbal respect for all traditions in Northern Ireland receiving equal information and parity of esteem. Not providing this information appears to be discrimination against all the citizens of that part of Ireland.

Will the Minister of State convey to the relevant Minister the news that there is a great deal of discontent there and ask him to take measures as soon as possible which will not cost a great deal of money for vulnerable people? Much of this affects older people, especially in rural areas which FM does not reach. They should not have to accept the solution suggested by technical people which is to get a Sky Box because it is complicated for those who do not understand it and it is expensive.

RTE must decide whether it has a public service mandate which extends across the Border or whether it is Twenty-six Counties public service or a Thirty-two Counties one. It appears it has made a decision which discriminates against certain people who live on the same island as we do.

Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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I am sure it will come as no surprise to Senator Ross that, notwithstanding the Good Friday Agreement, the preamble to the Constitution still defines the nation as being a Thirty-two Counties one, incorporating the entire island of Ireland. I am sure that will be of enormous reassurance to him and to many of his voters in Northern Ireland.

RTE's mandate to provide radio and television services is defined in section 28(1) of the Broadcasting Act 2001. This Act states that the national television and sound broadcasting services required to be maintained by RTE shall have the character of a public service, continue to be a free-to-air service and to be made available, in so far as is reasonably practicable, to the whole community on the island of Ireland.

Radio services are currently provided over a wide range of media — over radio, on long wave 252 and in the FM band, over Sky Satellite and over the Internet. Long wave is available throughout Northern Ireland. The long wave 252 transmitter, which is based in Summerhill County Meath, broadcasts RTE Radio 1 on a single frequency throughout Ireland. Long wave signals travel over very long distances and so a single transmitting station is sufficient to provide coverage throughout Ireland.

In 2006-07, RTE replaced its long wave transmitter with a more efficient model. As well as providing an improved analogue service, the new transmitter is capable of being upgraded to a digital service in the future. For the listener, analogue long wave radio sets are widely available and quite inexpensive. Prices start from as low as approximately €8.

In 2007, RTE closed its medium wave transmitters. Medium wave was also used by listeners throughout Northern Ireland for reception of RTE Radio 1 but the transmitters were inefficient and expensive to operate. The new long wave transmitter has replaced this service and continues to provide radio coverage of Radio 1, or Radio Éireann, as it used to be known, throughout Northern Ireland.

FM radio offers superior quality to long wave or medium wave radio. However, radio in the FM band is suitable for coverage over short distances only and cannot be received in certain areas in Northern Ireland. Coverage of RTE FM in Northern Ireland is achieved through overspill of the RTE signals from the radio transmitter sites closest to the Border. Locations in Northern Ireland which are furthest from these sites cannot receive FM coverage. In this regard, FM is not suitable for all-island reception of RTE.

It is possible to optimise coverage into Northern Ireland in the FM band. Last year, after the closure of the medium wave transmitters, RTE made some changes to its FM services around the Border to enhance coverage of RTE Radio 1 in the Belfast area. RTE Radio 1 can now be received in Belfast in the FM band. In regard to satellite, Sky carries all four radio channels serving listeners on satellite throughout Ireland, Great Britain and on the Continent.

RTE is also planning to use an alternative satellite option — freesat — to provide access to both an international television service and to the RTE radio services. The coverage provided by freesat will be the same as the existing Sky satellite but freesat is not a subscription service. Its users will pay only the once-off costs of a dish and a set-top receiver. This is an important step forward for both television and radio audiences. It will provide television service and extend the availability of radio at a cost which is both reasonable and non-recurring.

No single transmission system can meet the needs of all Irish listeners across the island of Ireland. Constraints, such as technical limitations and international regulatory agreements, need to be considered here. Listeners should not be limited to using a particular means of accessing radio content. Irish listeners have embraced advances in technology. Access to broadcasting services over the Internet and satellite continues to grow in popularity.

That is why it is necessary to look to other forms of distribution such as satellite and the Internet where RTE has developed its services significantly in recent years. Before the year's end, freesat will mark another stage of progress and provide additional choice for listeners in both Northern Ireland and the UK.

Shane Ross (Independent)
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The Minister of State's response was comprehensive. Am I correct in saying that everybody in Northern Ireland can receive RTE provided they are prepared to spend the money to do so?

Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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They can do so. A radio, which can operate on the long wave frequency, can be bought for as little as €8. The good news is that the Clarkstown 252 transmitter in Summerhill is being enhanced in terms of its quality and ability. It has always had the ability to be received throughout the island of Ireland and further afield.

Shane Ross (Independent)
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I thank the Minister of State who would have been better without a script.