Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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238. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the transmission status of RTÉ in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41094/17]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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RTÉ is obliged under Section 114(1)(a) of the Broadcasting Act 2009 to ‘establish, maintain and operate a national television and sound broadcasting service which shall have the character of a public service, be a free-to-air service and be made available, in so far as is reasonably practicable, to the whole community on the island of Ireland’.

In this context, a guiding principle in RTÉ’s Public Service Statement is that it will ‘provide for and be responsive to the interests, needs and concerns of the whole community on the island of Ireland’.  

Multiplex Broadcasting Services NI Ltd. (NI Mux) was established in 2012 as a joint venture by RTÉ and TG4 to hold and operate the licence for a small multiplex in Northern Ireland which carries RTÉ and TG4 services. Under the terms of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and the subsequent St. Andrew’s Agreement, these services are made as widely available as possible to viewers in Northern Ireland on a free-to-air basis.

NI Mux provides coverage additional to overspill coverage from Saorview and this ensures that RTÉ and TG4 services are currently available to around 97% of homes in Northern Ireland. 

The availability of RTÉ services in Northern Ireland has been enhanced by the availability of digital services, including the RTÉ Player and a range of mobile applications, such as RTÉ News Now. In addition, RTÉ’s collaboration with the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland in launching the Irish Radio Player App allows listeners to connect to Irish radio stations on android and apple devices, wherever they are.