Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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194. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the allocation for the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland independent productions fund in 2021 and 2022. [26528/22]

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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199. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the funding allocation that was made to the Sound and Vision fund in each of the years 2020, 2021 and 2022. [26533/22]

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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206. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the allocation that was made by the Exchequer to the Sound and Vision Fund in 2020, 2021 and 2022. [26540/22]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 194, 199 and 206 together.

The Sound and Vision Scheme supports the production of audiovisual and audio content for Irish audiences. The Broadcasting Act 2009 makes provision for the disbursement of 7% of the net TV licence fee receipts to the Broadcasting Fund operated by the BAI, which supports both the Sound and Vision (S&V) and Archiving Schemes. The Broadcasting Act 2009, also provides that the Minister may allocate additional Exchequer funding to the Sound and Vision Scheme. 2020 was the first year that Exchequer funding was allocated to the Scheme, which I allocated in recognition of impact of COVID-19 on the sector.

It should be noted that due to the timing of individual rounds of Sound and Vision, and the staging of payments by BAI to successful applicants, it is to be expected that there will be differences in the funding allocated to the Broadcasting Fund and the amount that the BAI disperses to grantees in any given year.

The amount allocated to the Broadcasting Fund in 2020 was €14.9m and in 2021 was €14.8m. Figures for 2022 are not yet available as the allocation will depend on the number of TV Licences sold this year.

Spend from the Sound and Vision Scheme, funded by both the licence fee and the Exchequer, for 2020, 2021 and to date in 2022 are set out in the tables below.

Sound and Vision Scheme 2020 Awards

Sound and Vision Scheme 2021 Awards

Sound and Vision Scheme 2022 Awards (to date)

I secured Exchequer funding for the Scheme of €2m in the 2020 July stimulus and an additional €4.9m in December 2020, with €3.9m of the latter funding carried over into 2021. Of this additional funding, the BAI distributed €2.5m for the independent radio sector and €1.4m to support the live music sector.

I recently announced €10.5m in additional Exchequer funding to the Scheme, which will support programming on both radio and television. This additional funding has been allocated as follows:

- €1.5m extra for general Sound and Vision scheme projects (Round 42)

- €5m for climate change and climate action content production (Round 44);

- €2m for live music broadcasting productions (Round 45); and

- €2m for Irish language programming (Round 46).

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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195. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the full allocation for the new media commission for 2022. [26529/22]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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The Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022 will, when enacted, formally dissolve the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland and establish a new regulator, Coimisiún na Meán, which will be responsible for overseeing the regulation of broadcasting and video on-demand services and the new regulatory framework for online safety. Coimisiún na Meán will also have functions relating to the promotion of an open, trusted and pluralistic media and online environment, including research, education, media literacy, the protection of children, and journalistic and creative supports.

Given the importance of An Coimisiún, Government has approved its establishment on an administrative basis prior to the enactment of the Bill. While An Coimisiún will, as set out in the Bill, ultimately be funded through levies on regulated services, €5.5 million has been allocated to support the establishment process in 2022.

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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196. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the amount of Exchequer funding that was given to RTÉ in each of the years, 2020, 2021 and 2022. [26530/22]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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The principal mechanism through which my Department provides funding to RTÉ is from TV licence fee receipts. Total TV licence receipts include revenues both from direct sales collected by An Post and an Exchequer contribution from the Department of Social Protection in respect of free licences provided to those on Household Benefits packages.

For the period 2020 to April 2022, total TV licence fee revenue provided to RTÉ amounted to €456.8m, which included €156.8m from the Exchequer contribution. An annual breakdown of this funding is provided in the table below:

TV Licence Fee Payments to RTÉ 2020-April 2022

As well as core funding to enable RTÉ meet its public service broadcasting obligations, my Department has also provided funding to RTÉ in respect of activities related to Arts and Culture initiatives, such as the Creative Ireland Programme and the Decade of Centenaries programme. Over the period from 2020 to date in 2022 this has amounted to €2.025m in funding to RTÉ. Additionally, the Government agreed, alongside the New Decade New Approach (NDNA) Agreement, to provide €100,000 per annum to RTÉ for the three years of the Agreement (2021-2023), as part of a broader initiative to promote Irish language broadcasting in Northern Ireland.

Finally, in 2020 a final capital payment of €527,379 was provided to RTÉ to complete the migration of terrestrial broadcasting services (i.e. the Saorview DTT service) from the 700 MHz spectrum band, to allow for that spectrum to be used by wireless broadband services. This project was overseen by ComReg and was carried out on a cost-neutral basis.

Details of Exchequer payments made to RTÉ, excluding receipts from the sales of Television Licences, are set out in the table below:

Other Exchequer Payments to RTÉ 2020-April 2022