Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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313. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which she and her Department continue to monitor developments in the media with particular reference to the need to ensure that local print media and radio stations are not endangered by unregulated entities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23980/23]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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I recognise the essential role that local print media and the local and regional radio sector plays in sharing reliable and relevant local news and bringing communities together. The media sector in Ireland, which is a vital element of our democracy and society as a whole, is undergoing fundamental change.

To address this, the Government approved an Implementation Strategy and Action Plan in January 2023 to implement the recommendations of the Future of Media Commission (FOMC) Report. The FOMC had examined how media should serve Irish society, how well the current system meets these goals and what changes ought to be made to support the development of the media sector in Ireland.

One of the key recommendations made by the Commission was for the conversion of the Broadcasting Fund, currently provided for under Part 10 of the Broadcasting Act 2009 and which supports the Sound and Vision and Archiving Schemes, into a Media Fund. The Media Fund will provide funding for six additional schemes on a platform-neutral basis to the wider media sector.

In light of the recommendations of the FOMC, €6 million was allocated in Budget 2023 to the Media Fund on an administrative basis, with the priority being the establishment of a Local Democracy Reporting Scheme and a Courts Reporting Scheme. Both Schemes will support media at local, regional and national levels on a platform-neutral basis, including the local print media and radio stations. My Department is currently finalising the broad parameters of the Schemes, which will inform the detailed design and implementation of the Schemes to be undertaken by Coimisiún na Meán.

Funding for the radio sector is currently made available through the Sound and Vision Scheme for the production of programming on Irish culture, heritage and experience. The Scheme, which is administered by the Coimisiún na Meán, is funded by 7% of the annual television licence fee funds and can be augmented by Exchequer funding. Since taking office, I have secured an additional €22.4m in Exchequer funding to the Scheme, of which €7.5m has been ring-fenced for the commercial radio sector, including an allocation of €2.5m to the BAI which I announced in December and which will be distributed this year. A further €1.2m has been ring-fenced for community radio since I took office. In addition to the dedicated funding rounds for radio, each general round is also open to radio applications – 67 new radio projects received funding in the last general round, announced in April.

As regards, the regulation of online and audiovisual media services, on 15 March I commenced the majority of the provisions of the Online Safety and Media Regulation (OSMR) Act 2022 and formally established Coimisiún na Meán as the new online safety and media regulator. Accordingly, Coimisiún na Meán is fulfilling the role previously played by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland in licensing broadcasting services such as local radio stations while also taking on a new role regulating online services and video-on-demand services. Furthermore, my colleague the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment is bringing forward legislation to designate Coimisiún na Meán as the Digital Services Co-ordinator under the EU Digital Services Act, which will give Coimisiún na Meán a role in regulating providers of intermediary services, such as online platforms, from February 2024.