David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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222. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the amount of public funding from his Department given to each of the directly funded licensed television and radio stations broadcasting here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49229/19]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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RTÉ and TG4 are the only broadcasters that receive public funding directly from my Department.

RTÉ receives its public funding from TV Licence Fee receipts, which includes a contribution from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection in respect of free TV licences. Total licence fee funding for RTE in 2019 has not yet been determined as the final amount is contingent on licence fee sales to the public to year end. In 2018, RTE's licence fee receipts amounted to €188.5m.

In 2019, TG4 received all its public funding from the exchequer, which amounts to €34.233m current and €2m capital funding.

My Department also pays 7% of net licence fee receipts to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland for the administration of the Broadcasting Fund. This fund is used for the Sound and Vision and Archiving Schemes which are open to all broadcasters. Details of funding provided under these schemes is published on the BAI website at www.bai.ie/en/broadcasting/funding-development-3/.