It is a pity the Minister is not present to hear this, although that is not a slight on the Minister of State, Deputy Niamh Smyth. We have had this engagement with the Minister, so he sometimes gets what I am talking about because I have had it out with him over a number of years, in particular over geoblocking. That is something that has not gone away and will not go away unless it is addressed. It needs to be addressed in legislative format at this stage because every other attempt by us to address it has been ignored. We had the ability to do this. We put forward the Broadcasting (All-Ireland Service) (Amendment) Bill last year, which was aimed at addressing it. The committee, in its pre-legislative scrutiny, looked at the challenges. The challenges are there, but they are not ones that cannot be overcome. There are simple solutions, and a simple approach is possible with the national broadcasters. The national authority of a Minister can overcome it, but if that is not the case, then we will have to ensure that our legislation comes in. That is where we are at currently. Recommendation 13 from the scrutiny came on the back of a discussion that we had about programmes like “Bluey”, “Dora the Explorer” and so on. These are programmes that kids enjoy in this jurisdiction, perhaps during the summer months in Donegal. When they return home, they have no access to the RTÉ Player and these programmes that they have grown to love, and the characters who are speaking as Gaeilge to them. Those are not the only issues. We have already mentioned Olympic coverage, all-Ireland finals and other issues. There is a need for us to approach broadcasting on this island as an island. We need a single approach to these issues to ensure we have commonality, that we address the issues in advance of a united Ireland and that we create an all-Ireland market for broadcasting rights. They can all be tied in together. When RTÉ or TG4 are making approaches to other broadcasters or making agreements, they can do so on the understanding that any agreement they get will allow broadcasts across the island. That goes for the Olympics and the all-Ireland finals, and there should be no differentiation of the different parts of this island. I am disappointed that the Minister has not addressed this. Hopefully, during Committee Stage of the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill, he will do so, and we can have an amendment to address this issue. The other issue is one where I welcome the approach that, at long last, a Minister has taken. It is an issue that has come up over quite a number of years, and the Minister of State mentioned Groundhog Day. It is the fact that the Comptroller and Auditor General did not have the powers to investigate or have oversight of the RTÉ accounts. The decision to address this is to be welcomed. It is a pity that, a year ago to this day, the Minister of State's party and the Government voted down a Bill that I had in the House which did exactly that. It was a very simple Bill. It was not party-political, as we can see from the fact that it is being brought in under this Bill. However, it is a year on, and by the time this is enacted, it will be longer than that. Hopefully, this will address some of the scandals and the waste of money. This is public money, at the end of the day, that RTÉ has overseen in the past and right up to recent days. One of the examples I have seen lately is the amount of money being spent on consultants to distribute "The Late Late Toy Show" funds. For God's sake, can someone not just sit down and work it out? Why is RTÉ paying consultants to distribute the charitable funds that are raised? The fact that consultants would even take the money to do that is an even bigger scandal, and it needs to be addressed. If RTÉ needs consultants to look over it, there are consultant firms out there that should be able to offer this as a service as part of a donation to the "The Late Late Toy Show" fund. That is a scandal in itself because, ultimately, it is money being taken out of the public purse or out of the fund itself. We learned this week of the amount of money being spent on limousines and the likes. Hopefully that era is at an end and we are now seeing the end of the wasting of money that was happening, week in and week out, in RTÉ over the years, where some people thought they could spend public funds willy-nilly. We need a proper public service. That has to be paid for, and I have absolutely no problem with that. We need to ensure that workers are protected and paid correctly, that performers are paid properly, that their performances, writings and so on are properly protected under copyright. The era of bogus self-employment is well and truly at an end. There must be strict adherence to the Karshan decision which ensures that bogus self-employment will not happen again. In an era when RTÉ is moving towards a lot more outsourcing, there is a danger that this could lead to bogus self-employment such that people would be employees but would be told that they are not. Another issue I want to raise is the recommendations the committee made in relation to the Irish language. The committee sought to ensure that TG4 will have independent editorial control over its news service. Tá an fhadhb seo leanúnach agus tá sé ardaithe ag TG4, na coistí istigh anseo, agamsa leis an Aire don Ghaeltacht agus le Aire na meán thar na blianta agus fós nílimid tar éis déileáil leis an gceist. Níl an Bhille seo tar éis déileáil leis. Bheadh sé i bhfad Éireann níos éasca dá mbeadh sé seo déanta gan é a bheith sa reachtaíocht ach níl sé sin ag tarlúint. Sin an fáth go mba chóir go mbeadh an tAire ag teacht chugainn ag déanamh cinnte de go bhfuil an neamhspleáchas seo ag TG4 maidir leis an nuacht agus gur féidir leis a thaispeáint gur seirbhís nuachta ann féin é, seachas a bheith ceangailte le RTÉ mar atá sé faoi láthair. Tá costas i gceist leis sin agus bheadh air caint le Coimisiún na Meán chun déanamh cinnte de gur féidir leis íocadh as seo. Níl sé sin ag tarlúint faoi láthair. Recommendation No. 17 from the pre-legislative scrutiny process relates to the establishment, by means of the Bill, of a national Irish-language youth radio service. Tá sé seo mar cheist le tamall fada de bhlianta. Bíonn taispeántas nó scéim phíolótach ann nach mór gach bliain i gcomhar le Raidió Rí-Rá - tá stáisiúin eile ann, ní gá go roghnófar an ceann sin – a léiríonn go bhfuil spéis ag daoine óga éisteacht leis an raidió agus le cláracha raidió dírithe orthu féin seachas ar lucht na Gaeltachta amháin. Tá Raidió na Gaeltachta tar éis sár-obair a dhéanamh thar na blianta ó bunaíodh é. Caithfimid déanamh cinnte de go leanann an cur chuige atá aige agus an ceangal atá aige leis an bpobal ar aghaidh. Tá a lán daoine óga nach mbíonn ag éisteacht le gnáth-stáisiúin raidió, bíonn siad ag éisteacht le cláracha ar leith atá dírithe orthu. Sa chás sin, tá sé léirithe gur gá dúinn féachaint ar an gcineál sin stáisiún a bhunú. Níl a fhios agam an gá go mbeadh sé i reachtaíocht go bhfuil sé seo le bunú ach is gá go mbeimid, na polaiteoirí, ag tacú go hiomlán leis agus ag impí ar Choimisiún na Meán agus ar an Aire déanamh cinnte de go dtarlaíonn Raidió Rí-Rá amach anseo. Recommendation No. 51 proposes that funding for TG4 be increased and that Coimisiún na Meán and the Government take account of the vital role of the media in intergenerational language transmission for our national and minoritised language when making decisions on funding. Cé go bhfuil ardú tar éis teacht thar na blianta ar an maoiniú do TG4, tá i bhfad Éireann níos mó ag teastáil. Is léiriú é nuair a fheicimid ar Société Radio-Canada, SRC, nó ar stáisiúin teilifíse i dTír na mBascach go bhfuil gá déanamh cinnte de go bhfuil an t-airgead ann le gur féidir le TG4 bheith san iomaíocht ag an leibhéal ceart agus na cláracha is fearr a chur amach má táimid ag iarraidh níos mó daoine a mhealladh chuig an teanga agus chun líofacht sa teanga a fhorbairt. Cuideoidh sé chomh maith leis an gceangal idir an dúshlán atá ag an Stát tar éis glacadh air féin go mbeidh 20% dóibh siúd atá earcaithe sa Státseirbhís líofa sa Ghaeilge ag leibhéal B2. Chun go dtarlóidh sé sin, caithfidh daoine óga nó iad siúd atá ag foghlaim na Gaeilge í a chloisteáil i bhfad níos minice ná mar atá siad faoi láthair. Thacaigh mé agus tacaím go fóill leis an gcinneadh a ghlacadh maidir le fógraíocht agus mar sin. Feicimid agus cloisimid fógraí trí Ghaeilge anois níos mó ná mar a chualamar riamh roimhe seo. Is léiriú é sin go bhfuil tionchar aige nuair a dhéantar craoltóireacht ar an nGaeilge - cloiseann agus feiceann daoine í. Má chuirimid airgead i dtreo TG4, beidh toradh air. Feicimid an dea-thoradh atá ar TG4 leis na duaiseanna atá bainte amach aige go hidirnáisiúnta mar gheall ar na cláracha ar thacaigh sé leo agus na cláracha spóirt atá aige. Ní hamháin go gcuireann sé an Ghaeilge chun cinn, ach tá sé ag cur spórt nach raibh ar fáil roimhe seo ar RTÉ ar fáil. Is féidir linn tacú leis an dá rud ag an am céanna má dhéanfaimid cinnte de go bhfuil breis airgid aige ionas gur féidir leis an t-airgead sin a chaitheamh ar an earnáil seo. Is earnáil í a bhfuil airgead de dhíth uirthi, go háirithe nuair nach bhfuil an tAire sásta díriú isteach ar an treoir a thabhairt “content levy” a chur chun cinn. Bheadh airgead breise ar fáil don earnáil ina iomlán dá mbeadh sé sin déanta. Bhí cúpla moladh eile. Ar mhaithe leis an Aire, breathnóimid orthu arís agus déanfaimid iad a chur chun cinn nuair a shroichfimid Céim an Choiste chun féachaint an mbeidh athrú poirt ag an Aire amach anseo maidir leis an líofacht atá acu siúd atá ar bhord RTÉ ó thaobh an Ghaeilge de. Bhíomar sa choiste ag iarraidh go mbeadh níos mó fócas ag na craoltóirí náisiúnta ar na pleananna agus a leithéid timpeall na tíre. Nílim ag cur i gcoinne an Bhille seo; is Bille maith é. Is féidir linn tacú leis ach caithfimid déanamh cinnte de go bhfuil athruithe ag teacht chun cinn ar Chéim an Choiste le cinntiú fad is atáimid ag gabháil don chraoltóireacht go bhfuilimid cinnte gurb é an Bhille is fearr gur féidir linn a chruthú agus go mbeidh sé sin rite ag an Dáil amach anseo.

Sentiment score: -0.02