Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I thank him for taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Catherine Martin. We are looking at the future funding of public sector broadcasting. This has been one of the proverbial cans that has been kicked down the road.In November 2017, there was a report on the future funding of public service broadcasting by the Oireachtas committee on communications. That, in turn, led to the Government setting up the working group on TV licence collection, which reported in April 2019. It very clearly stated: "The current model of TV licence regime does not provide the required level of sustainable and future-proofed funding [for public service broadcasting]." It suggested, as I am sure the Minister of State knows, a device-attached fee, which the Government did not accept. That was kicked to the Future of Media Commission, which reported in July 2022. The Government accepted 49 of the commission's recommendations. It is acting on a number of them and doing very well, bar the one on the question of public sector funding, which recommended that funding should come directly from the Exchequer. A technical working group was established in September 2022 to examine a secure and sustainable funding model for public service media and licence fee reforms. The then Taoiseach, Deputy Micheál Martin, said in November that this would optimise the future structure of the fee.

At the Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Sport and Media, we have been exploring how we can look at funding models as well. One of the things we would hope, and we have been making this case to the Minister, is that whatever funding arrangement comes into being should be a multi-annual funding arrangement, whether that is for RTÉ or others engaging in public sector broadcasting, so there is a guarantee as to the level of funding over a number of years. I understand that the report of the technical working group is with the Minister at this stage.

It is widely accepted that RTÉ is in the middle of a funding crisis. That is not just due to the licence fee issue. Broader issues relating to the management of RTÉ internally need to be resolved. There is also the core question of the overall funding of public sector broadcasting. The Minister of State will be very aware that we are in an increasingly fragmented media environment. Streaming services and digitalisation have transformed how we consume media. Equally, we know the importance of public sector broadcasting. That was very evident during the Covid period. With regard to his brief, we know the importance of public sector broadcasting in combating misinformation and disinformation and the major role broadcasters have in that space. We need to have a level of certainty within this and I am concerned that we are not getting that. The working group report has not been published and a decision is not being made on what we are going to do with public sector broadcasting.

In fact, the recent debate around GAAGO and what happened there was only a symptom or part of this broader and bigger challenge about what constitutes public sector broadcasting, how sport needs to be funded, the role of streaming services and so on. We need the wider debate but if we are going to have proper public sector funding for RTÉ and the sound and vision fund that will now be administered by Coimisiún na Meán, we need to have a level of certainty. All I am asking is for the Minister of State to tell us today that the Government is not going to kick the can even further down the road.

Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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While the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Catherine Martin, unfortunately cannot be present due to a prior commitment, she has asked me to thank the House for the invitation to update it on the progress of the technical working group on TV licence reform and enhancement.

A healthy independent media sector is vital for our society in general, our culture and our democratic processes. The media, and public service media in particular, is a source of independent and trusted news and information, which enables dialogue and debate. It supports societal well-being through the provision of access to entertainment, sports and culture. It also supports economic activity, particularly in the cultural and creative sector. However, it is a sector that has seen significant transformation over the past number of years. Changes in technology have impacted not only how we receive and consume media content, but also the economics of the sector. They have impacted the ability of traditional media to attract the necessary commercial revenues to help sustain their activities. This is no less the case for public service media.

In recognition of the important role of the sector, and in light of the significant impacts it has faced, the programme for Government committed to the establishment of the Future of Media Commission to consider the future of print, broadcast, and online media and to make recommendations to Government to ensure public service media delivers value for money to the public and maintains its independence.In recognition of the important role of the sector and in light of the significant impacts it has faced, the programme for Government committed to the establishment of the Future of Media Commission to consider the future of print, broadcast and online media and to make recommendations to the Government to ensure public service media deliver value for money to the public and maintain their independence. The commission was also tasked with making recommendations on how the future funding of public service media could be made secure and sustainable. It is worth noting one of the commission’s key findings was that the Irish public places a strong value on public service content. The commission quite rightly noted the media sector is undergoing transformation with regard to technology, revenue models, competition and the impacts of disinformation. It also concluded the public funding model needs to be reformed to ensure a more sustainable future for the sector.

As Members of this House will be aware, the commission proposed the TV licence should be abolished and replaced with Exchequer funding. When considering the report of the Future of Media Commission, the Government decided not to accept this recommendation on funding and instead, to examine how the current TV licence system could be reformed and enhanced to provide a more sustainable funding model. To this end, the Government established a technical working group to examine the matter, including how the licence fee might be reformed to reflect changes in technology and viewing habits. The group was also mandated to examine a number of other key factors, such as issues arising with the current TV licence database and future requirements for the identified funding options; the scope of liability noting that liability currently falls on those with a "traditional" television set, while the ability to access public service content is almost universal; improvements and efficiencies to the collection and payment process for TV licences and possible changes to enforcement procedures to decrease the number of TV licence evaders.

The Minister is sure Senators will appreciate that reform of the TV licence is a complex issue with many dimensions and has required detailed analysis and consideration by the technical working group in order to arrive at an informed and considered report for further consideration by the Government. The group submitted its report to the Minister on 31 March. She is currently considering the detail of the report and will bring the matter to Government, as soon as practicable, for decision and publication. I am sure the Senator will appreciate the Minister cannot comment on the group’s report until Cabinet colleagues have had the opportunity to provide input.

Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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I always worry when I read the phrase, "as soon as practicable", in a response, because it is frequently used when reports have been kicked down the road for a long period. The difficulty is that the issue is not new. We have known this for a long time and yet, we have seen how RTÉ and other broadcasters and media have performed a very good public sector function, not just during the Covid pandemic, but at other times as well. We need certainty. The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Tourism Culture, Arts, Sport and Media has held a number of hearings on this issue. Major challenges face print media and broadcast media in particular. It is important we stress the urgency of this issue and that there be a guarantee in the report that multi-annual funding options will be provided for public sector media. I ask, when the report is finally brought to Cabinet, there be a broad debate between both Houses and an assurance this will not just be another report kicked down the road.

Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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The goal of the report is to find a sustainable and fair funding model that responds to the changing technological landscape. We have moved away from the time when there was a black-and-white TV licence and a colour TV licence, to people watching TV on their laptops or hearing it on their phones. We need a sustainable model if we are to have public sector broadcasting. A detailed analysis was carried out and, to be fair to the Minister, she only received the report a number of weeks ago. She has to consider something dramatic, because RTÉ and other public service broadcasters play a significant part in the lives of Irish people and they are vital to democracy. One does not want to make dramatic changes to them and regret those changes at leisure. The Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, is not somebody to hang around or kick the can down the road. I imagine she will bring a detailed response to the Cabinet. The other Ministers will all have an interest in that. I cannot say what is in the report, primarily because I have not been shown it either. I think there will be a response from the Cabinet when the report is produced. There is a strong desire to make sure we continue to fund our public sector broadcasting, which is vital to our society.