Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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81. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if any consideration will be given to removing the broadcasting levy paid by independent radio stations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57167/22]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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Section 33 of the Broadcasting Act 2009 ('the Act') provides that the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) may impose a levy on broadcasters for the purposes of meeting the cost of fulfilling their functions ('the broadcasting levy'). The design and implementation of the broadcasting levy is matter for the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland as an independent regulatory body.

The Online Safety and Media Regulation (OSMR) Bill 2022, which is currently before the Oireachtas, will dissolve the BAI and established a new body, Coimisiún na Meán, to oversee the regulatory framework for broadcasting, video-on-demand services and online safety set out in the Bill.

The new body will be funded by a levy which will be placed on all regulated entities, including broadcasters, which will ultimately replace the broadcasting levy. Specifically, section 7 of the OSMR Bill will substitute a new section 21 of the Act, which will provide the legal basis for Coimisiún na Meán to prepare and impose the levy or levies. Under that section, each category of regulated entity will be required to contribute proportionally to the cost of the functions relating to that category.

Community broadcasters will be exempt from the levy, which is not the case with the existing broadcasting levy. However, I do not intend to provide for an exemption for the commercial broadcasting sector. One of the important principles underpinning our regulatory framework for media services is that regulated entities contribute to the cost incurred to regulate them.

Under the transitional provisions of the OSMR Bill, the existing broadcasting levy will remain in place until it is replaced by a levy made under section 21 of the Act (as substituted by the Bill), but only insofar as it is required to fund the broadcasting-related activities of Coimisiún na Meán.

Section 36 of the OSMR Bill will confer the power on the Minister for Media to pay a portion of receipts from television licence fees to Coimisiún na Meán up to a maximum of 50% of the expenditure of An Coimisiún. The payment of television licence fee receipts to Coimisiún na Meán could be used to defray part of the costs of the levy on regulated entities. However, it is important to point out that any reduction in the levy would need to be applied proportionality across all regulated entities, and not just television and radio broadcasters. In addition, the payment of television licence fee receipts to Coimisiún na Meán would firstly be contingent on the overall level of receipts in any given year, and furthermore may result in a reduction in the funding available to RTÉ and the Broadcasting Fund, which is used to fund the Sound and Vision and Archive Schemes.

A reduction in the broadcasting levy is not the only way to support the independent radio sector. At present, a number of schemes are available to the sector:

- the Sound and Vision Scheme operated by the BAI; and,

- in Budget 2023, I secured €6 million for the establishment of the Media Fund. This will initially fund two schemes, a Local Democracy Reporting Scheme and Court Reporting Schemes which will be administered by Coimisiún na Meán on a platform-neutral basis.

In addition to the 7% of net licence fee receipts which is used to fund Sound and Vision Scheme, I have allocated an additional €25.4 million in Exchequer funding to the Scheme since 2020. Over that period the Scheme has ring-fenced €5 million for independent radio and €1.2 million for community radio to be distributed through dedicated funding rounds. Any open rounds of the Scheme were also open to the independent radio sector.

Johnny Guirke (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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82. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will give consideration in the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022, to include provisions to remove the broadcasting levy that is paid by independent radio stations (details supplied) until a fair and equitable scheme in which all media outlets pay towards regulation is introduced by the Media Commission; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56824/22]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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Section 33 of the Broadcasting Act 2009 ('the Act') provides that the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) may impose a levy on broadcasters for the purposes of meeting the cost of fulfilling their functions ('the broadcasting levy'). The design and implementation of the broadcasting levy is matter for the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland as an independent regulatory body.

The Online Safety and Media Regulation (OSMR) Bill 2022, which is currently before the Oireachtas, will dissolve the BAI and established a new body, Coimisiún na Meán, to oversee the regulatory framework for broadcasting, video-on-demand services and online safety set out in the Bill.

The new body will be funded by a levy which will be placed on all regulated entities, including broadcasters, which will ultimately replace the broadcasting levy. Specifically, section 7 of the OSMR Bill will substitute a new section 21 of the Act, which will provide the legal basis for Coimisiún na Meán to prepare and impose the levy or levies. Under that section, each category of regulated entity will be required to contribute proportionally to the cost of the functions relating to that category.

Community broadcasters will be exempt from the levy, which is not the case with the existing broadcasting levy. However, I do not intend to provide for an exemption for the commercial broadcasting sector. One of the important principles underpinning our regulatory framework for media services is that regulated entities contribute to the cost incurred to regulate them.

Under the transitional provisions of the OSMR Bill, the existing broadcasting levy will remain in place until it is replaced by a levy made under section 21 of the Act (as substituted by the Bill), but only insofar as it is required to fund the broadcasting-related activities of Coimisiún na Meán.

Section 36 of the OSMR Bill will confer the power on the Minister for Media to pay a portion of receipts from television licence fees to Coimisiún na Meán up to a maximum of 50% of the expenditure of An Coimisiún. The payment of television licence fee receipts to Coimisiún na Meán could be used to defray part of the costs of the levy on regulated entities. However, it is important to point out that any reduction in the levy would need to be applied proportionality across all regulated entities, and not just television and radio broadcasters. In addition, the payment of television licence fee receipts to Coimisiún na Meán would firstly be contingent on the overall level of receipts in any given year, and furthermore may result in a reduction in the funding available to RTÉ and the Broadcasting Fund, which is used to fund the Sound and Vision and Archive Schemes.

A reduction in the broadcasting levy is not the only way to support the independent radio sector. At present, a number of schemes are available to the sector:

- the Sound and Vision Scheme operated by the BAI; and,

- in Budget 2023, I secured €6 million for the establishment of the Media Fund. This will initially fund two schemes, a Local Democracy Reporting Scheme and Court Reporting Schemes which will be administered by Coimisiún na Meán on a platform-neutral basis.

In addition to the 7% of net licence fee receipts which is used to fund Sound and Vision Scheme, I have allocated an additional €25.4 million in Exchequer funding to the Scheme since 2020. Over that period the Scheme has ring-fenced €5 million for independent radio and €1.2 million for community radio to be distributed through dedicated funding rounds. Any open rounds of the Scheme were also open to the independent radio sector.