Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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165. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if terrestrial television broadcasts will be required to include subtitles. [24180/20]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) is the independent regulator for broadcasting in the State.

Under Section 43(1)(c)of the Broadcasting Act 2009, the BAI are required to prepare and, from time to time, revise Access Rules which set out the specific steps each broadcaster is required to take to promote the understanding and enjoyment of television by people who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind or partially sighted. The Access Rules apply to broadcasters within the jurisdiction of the State, including the Public Service broadcasters (RTÉ and TG4) and broadcasters who hold content provision contracts with the BAI under Section 71 of the Broadcasting Act.

The BAI published the 2019 Access Rules to cover the period 2019–2023. The Access Rules set out Targets for individual broadcasters in respect of the provision of subtitling, Irish Sign Language (ISL) and audio description. The BAI monitor compliance with the Access Rules on a regular basis. The 2019 Access Rules can be found at the following link: .