Broadcasting Sector
Dail Éireann — 2026-05-07
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Sinéad Gibney (SD), Dublin Rathdown

I am heartened to hear that the Minister has at least spoken to Coimisiún na Meán about this but I do not believe that explaining to it that it needs to communicate to its stakeholders is enough in this regard. I also do not believe that the argument of an independent regulator is reason enough for the Minister to wash his hands of this issue. As he has said, local radio is a crucial part of the fabric of Irish society. The services that local radio offers to community cohesion, democratic participation, entertainment and culture within this country are so valued by so many members of Irish society, yet this is an industry and a sector that are under great pressure and have been for many years now as we have seen change of ownership and the pressure of disruption from the tech sector. I do not believe it is enough to simply say that the regulator has the right to impose the levy and therefore it can. It is disproportionate compared with the others. Not only that but Deputy O'Donovan is the Minister for the media, and this goes beyond just asking the regulator about it. What is the Minister doing to support the radio sector in this complex situation?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-07/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-28T05:50:46+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-07