Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

64. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the status of the implementation of the recommendations of the Report of the Future of Media Commission; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23450/23]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Following the publication of Future of Media Commission Report in July last year, Government established an Implementation Group, chaired by my Department, to assess how best to implement the Commission’s recommendations, which were accepted by Government and to prepare an implementation plan with timeframes for delivery. The Group was also asked to consider the most appropriate structure and format for further engagement with sectoral stakeholders.

The Group have completed this initial phase of their work, and on 18th January last, Government approved the Future of Media Commission Report: Implementation Strategy and Action Plan, which was published that day. The Commission's Report and the Government's Action Plan form a blueprint for how we can enable the continued development of public service media and valuable public service content across the media sector in Ireland. The Group will continue to support, monitor and report on the implementation of the Plan.

In addition to the Implementation Group, and in response to the recommendation to introduce a new public funding model for public service media, Government also established a Technical Working Group to examine the necessary reform and enhancement of the TV Licence system. The Group, which is also chaired by my Department, began its work in September 2022 and has submitted their report to me, which I am currently considering and will bring to Cabinet soon.

A cornerstone of the Future of Media Commission’s recommendations is the establishment of a new body with a wider regulatory and developmental functions. Coimisiún na Meán was formally established on 15^thMarch under the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022. An Coimisiún will provide the regulatory and developmental framework to support the implementation of many of the Commission’s recommendations, and the Broadcasting Commissioner and Media Development Commissioner in particular will play a significant role in delivering on the Government’s implementation plan.

As part of the implementation arrangements set out in the report, a Stakeholder group comprising members from the industry and other relevant stakeholders, as set out by the Commission, has been established. The first meeting of the group took place in February this year.

Since the publication of the Commission’s Report, progress has been made on the implementation of a number of recommendations, including:

• the transposition of the Copyright Directive by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment;
• the Defamation (Amendment) Bill has been included in the Government’s Legislation Programme, and the Department of Justice published the General Scheme of the Bill on March 28th;
• the introduction of a zero rate of VAT for newspapers as part of the Budget 2023 taxation measures, which came into effect from 1st of January;
• a cost-benefit analysis of Section 481 was completed by the Department of Finance, and as a result, an extension of Section 481 supports was agreed to the end of 2028; and,
• the provision of €6 million for the Media Fund for 2023 with the priority being the rollout of Local Democracy and Courts Reporting Schemes this year. Following consultations, my Department is currently developing a policy paper in relation to the aforementioned schemes, and subsequent to my consideration and approval, the Department will engage with Coimisiún na Meán in relation to their intended rollout before year-end.