Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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198. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the funding allocation that is made by her Department to media outlets other than an organisation (details supplied); and if she will list those outlets and the funding each one received in 2021 and 2022. [26532/22]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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The principal funding provided by my Department to the wider media sector is to support the public service broadcasting obligations of both RTÉ and TG4, as set out in the Broadcasting Act, 2009. Both broadcasters are dual-funded, with a mix of funding from my Department and commercial revenue. In the case of RTÉ my Department makes a grant out of Television Licence fee receipts, while TG4 is in receipt of Exchequer funding.

With regard to other media organisations, a principal source of support is through the Sound and Vision Scheme, funded by the Broadcasting Fund. This is administered by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI). The Scheme is funded mainly through an allocation of 7% of net receipts of Television Licence fees, but which can be augmented by Exchequer funds in accordance with the provisions of the Broadcasting Act. The BAI is independent in terms of statutory function in allocating funding under the Scheme and full details of the allocations made under the Sound and Vision Scheme are available on the BAI website.

The funding allocations made by my Department in 2021 and 2022 to media outlets other than RTÉ are set out in the table below.

The funding provided to TG4 is inclusive of €100,000 per annum to support broadcasting in the Irish language in Northern Ireland.

The funding provided to The Irish Times is to support the distribution to schools nationwide, of over 75,000 copies (in both 2021 and 2022) of The Irish Times Century Supplement as part of the Decade of Centenaries programme.