Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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341. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht his future plans for the TV licence. [4412/25]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, in July 2024, Government agreed to a multi-annual public funding arrangement for RTÉ which, through a combination of an improved TV licence collection system and Exchequer support, will provide certainty of funding to RTÉ to deliver on its Strategy, New Direction, in the coming years.

As part of this decision, the current TV licence system has been retained, but will be underpinned by improvements in collection and compliance to maximise revenue generation. The Government reconvened the TV Licence Technical Working Group and agreed to provide An Post with an Exchequer allocation of €6m over a three-year period for necessary improvements in the collection system and technology. To support and inform the work of the Technical Working Group, my Department has been engaging in bilateral meetings to examine the various technical issues arising and has sought legal advice on a range of potential compliance-enhancing measures.

As it continues its work, it would not be appropriate for me to pre-empt the deliberations of the Group and the nature of the recommendations they may bring forward.