I thank Deputy Munster. Public service media are a key pillar of our society and, in particular, of our democracy. This has never been more apparent than over the past number of years from maintaining cultural, educational and social engagement during Covid restrictions to countering disinformation through trusted content. They must, however, be supported with adequate resources through a reliable and sustainable funding model. While successive Governments have failed to address the question of how to fund public s…

We have the recommendations from the expert advisory committees, EACs, but we are waiting for the implementation plan. RTÉ committed on the day the recommendations were published to accept all of them in principle, but I do want to see the implementation plan. I gave six weeks for that. It is to be available towards the last week of June. I just need to see that. The discussions continue. I feel that, for too long now, Irish Governments have failed to address the question of how to fund public service broadcasting.…

Yes. I allowed a period of six weeks.

Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Green Party work collaboratively and have done so for the past four years, so there is-----

There is no issue at Cabinet level. There is no dictatorship and we work collaboratively on this. We are absolutely united in taking this decision before the summer. The Deputy asked about the implementation plan. We gave six weeks. We need those concerned to outline how the recommendations in the plan will be actioned. There are some recommendations for the Government itself, so I will be making the implementation plan for the recommendations relevant to the Government. These will refer to the Comptroller and Audi…

The decision will follow shortly thereafter. We are not waiting for the Cabinet meeting to keep the discussions going. As discussions are ongoing, I hope to move as quickly as possible, with a decision no later than the summer recess.

Meath and Louth are included in the Ireland's Ancient East Regional Tourism Development Strategy 2023–2027 launched by Fáilte Ireland in May 2023. This roadmap for the tourism industry and all stakeholders involved in tourism in the region will help to navigate through the current challenges and steer a course towards a sustainable recovery and continued success. The plan sets out a strategic approach to unlocking the commercial potential of Ireland's Ancient East. It provides a framework for tourism development th…

The importance of the tourism sector to the Irish economy and communities in every corner of Ireland is well understood. It is recognised that the use of tourist accommodation to support the Government's response to the humanitarian crisis has impacted the sector. In budget 2024, the Government allocated a total of €216 million in funding for the sector, which will allow for continued support for tourism development in Ireland for local and overseas visitors. Within this overall allocation, up to €10 million is ava…

The sports capital announcement of €250 million is the largest ever investment in sporting facilities nationwide. It represents a 50% increase on the previous round. As the Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, and I stated yesterday, it means that all applications for valid projects will receive positive news. We expect that to happen in the early autumn. That is really a signal of the determination of the Government, the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, and I to transform the sporting landscape for every town, …

Absolutely, and I stand by that. We had to wait for the expert advisory committee reports to land and they were delayed. That is the only reason. It has absolutely nothing to do with the local or European elections. I am absolutely determined to take the decision we made at Cabinet, with a recommendation from the Government, before the summer recess because public service media is critical to a well-functioning democracy but it is also essential for cultural development, social cohesion and well-being. As such, it …

The Deputy asked when the expert advisory committee reports will be published. They were published at the beginning of May. I brought them to Cabinet-----

As I said in reply to the Deputy's colleague, Deputy Munster, when I brought the reports to Cabinet, RTÉ accepted all of the recommendations in principle. We as a Government accepted in principle the recommendations that relate to the Government or the Oireachtas joint committee. I announced that within six weeks an implementation plan would be brought to the Government. RTÉ is going through this. It is very important that we see how it will implement the recommendations. There are perhaps 101 recommendations for R…

I want to state very clearly that all of us who own a TV are obliged to pay a TV licence. It is the law of the land. People should continue to purchase or renew their licence so that RTÉ and others who benefit from the broadcasting fund can continue to provide us with quality public service content. The public reaction to the controversy may be understandable but the licence fee supports a range of content on TV and radio, from drama to sport to current affairs to light entertainment. It is vital to us as a society…

Radio continues to play a key role in our society, as evidenced by the latest JNLR report showing 80% of adults in Ireland tuning in daily. Radio news is a vital and trusted source of information for the public, particularly for local and regional services. Given the importance of the radio sector, at my request, Coimisiún na Meán has prepared a report into the economic viability of the commercial radio sector. I welcome the insights which the report provides into the revenues, costs, and profits in the sector over…

Regarding the Sound and Vision scheme, a grant was made in recent weeks to a radio station based in Cork. An allocation of €65,000 was made last November. Some €80,000 went to Cork 96FM and C103 under the commercial radio round, and an award of €31,000 was made this April to Community Radio Youghal under the social benefit round. Coimisiún na Meán operates this scheme and it has all that detail. On the question posed by Deputy Gould concerning the GAA, the management of broadcasting and commercial rights is a matte…

It is also important to remember that RTÉ has an obligation to provide a broad range of programmes for the benefit and enjoyment of the entire community.

Absolutely. As I stated earlier, value is derived from the service being provided by local radio stations. I welcome the insights the report provides into the revenue, costs and profits in the sector in recent years. It might be of interest to the Deputy as well that I will meet representatives of the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland, IBI, group tomorrow to discuss the challenges and opportunities in this regard. As I said, I secured €6 million in the budget for the local democracy and court reporting schemes an…

The programme for Government contains a number of commitments relating to creative and cultural infrastructure. First, with regard to national development plan investment in our national cultural institutions, the Department is working closely with the OPW and the national cultural institutions to progress delivery of major capital redevelopment projects through the infrastructure guidelines. Just last week, I announced the commencement of the construction of the National Archives project, while the Crawford Art Ga…

The agent of change principle could really impact not only on developing and sustaining our night-time economy but also on the broader plans for more sustainable urban communities. There is much discussion on how night-time venues can co-exist with residential development in our cities and urban areas. Finding ways to address these challenges is essential to establishing and maintaining viable communities in our town and city centres while maintaining a vibrant night-time economy. While encouraging residential deve…

The meanwhile use of the buildings has also arisen during the discussions of the implementation group on the night-time economy task force. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is leading on this policy area and will be keeping the implementation group informed on progress. That Department will be key to delivery on these two areas, including the agents of change. It is leading on this important action in the task force report and it is making progress in this regard. As part of the work, that D…