Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) has statutory responsibility in this area and I have no function in this matter. Under Section 43 (1)(c)(i) of the Broadcasting Act 2009, the Authority must prepare and, from time to time, revise rules with respect to the specific steps each broadcaster is required to take to promote the understanding and enjoyment by those who are deaf or have a hearing or visual impairment of programmes transmitted on any broadcast service provided by the broadcaster. These Access Rules include provisions for subtitling, captioning, Irish sign language and audio descriptions. The provision of subtitling is then a matter for individual broadcasters in accordance with the Access Rules, with which all broadcasters within the jurisdiction of Ireland must comply. Compliance is monitored by the Authority. The Authority advises that complaints regarding subtitling are directed in the first place to the relevant broadcaster if one is dissatisfied with the manner in which a broadcaster is complying with the Rules. Information on such issues is obtainable from the BAI and from its website.

The BAI on 26th May 2014 launched a public consultation on proposed changes to rules governing the levels of subtitling, sign language and audio-description that Irish television broadcasters must offer to the public. The consultation will remain open until 23rd July and the BAI is seeking responses from the general public, representative groups and broadcasters. The new rules will update the current Access Rules in place since 2005 and last reviewed in 2012.

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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RTÉ is funded through both a Grant-In-Aid for a proportion of television licence fee receipts and through the commercial revenue it generates. TG4 is funded by way of a combination of direct exchequer Grant-In-Aid, television licence fee receipts and commercial revenue. Both Public Service Broadcasters are funded on an annual basis. In regard to the actual mechanism for helping to determine the level of the licence fee, this is set out in Section 124 of the Broadcasting Act 2009. In particular it allows for the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) to recommend in a report to me, as Minister, an annual licence fee modification.

This recommendation is based on an annual review of the extent to which both Public Service Broadcasters have fulfilled their commitments in respect of the public service objects stated in their annual statement of performance commitments for that financial year and the adequacy or otherwise of public funding to enable the corporations to meet those public service objects. The recommendation from the Authority informs any decision I, as Minister, may take in conjunction with the Government on adjusting the current level of television fee or otherwise.

In addition to the statutory requirement for annual reviews of the public service broadcasters, section 124(8) of the Broadcasting Act 2009 requires the BAI to also carry out a long term forward looking 5-year review on the adequacy or otherwise of the funding of public service broadcasters. The first 5 year review was undertaken by the BAI in 2013 and will assist in informing any policy decisions I may take on the future public funding of public service broadcasters.