Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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48. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the measures he is considering in order to provide provisions of additional and more secure funding streams for public service broadcasting and other local media here. [28481/19]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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In light of the recommendations in the Report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action & Environment on the Future Funding of Public Service Broadcasting, a Working Group was set up on foot of a Government decision last year to examine options for the reform of TV licence collection. I have recently received and am considering the report of the Working Group.

I secured additional funding for public service broadcasting in Budget 2019. TG4 will receive €36.2m Exchequer funding this year, comprising a combination of €34.2m current and €2m capital, which is an increase of €443,000 compared to 2018. Additional funding of €9.245m is being provided to RTE and the Broadcasting Fund, of which RTE will receive approximately €8.6m in 2019. The Broadcasting Fund, administered by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland and financed from 7% of net licence fee receipts, supports the Sound and Vision and Archiving Schemes and benefits the broadcasting sector as a whole.