I move:—
That a sum not exceeding £287,000 be granted to complete the sum necessary to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1958, for Salaries and other Expenses in connection with Wireless Broadcasting (No. 45 of 1926), including Public Concerts.
Because of the short time I have been in charge of the Department of Posts and Telegraphs. I cannot give any account in detail of the working of wireless broadcasting and I must content myself with giving the House the general information I have got about the service with a few brief remarks about matters of policy as I found them in the making.
I am aware from the debates in the House and from my advisers that a very significant change took place in the general structure of Radio Eireann and in the control exercised over it from 1st January, 1953. I shall say a few words later about the effect of these changes, but I wish to mention first the financial arrangements fixed in 1953 and how they relate to the Estimate as published for the coming year.
Prior to 1953, all the money that broadcasting got, whether for capital expenditure or for programmes, was provided by the Exchequer without any direct relation to the amount recovered through the Post Office in licence fees. From January, 1953, however, the arrangements were changed, with Government approval, and the full receipts from licence fees and sponsored programmes fees were placed at the disposal of Radio Eireann for its day to day working. Equipment was provided by subsidy and buildings continued to be reconstructed and erected by the Commissioners of Public Works without cost to broadcasting. For convenience of reference, the whole financial arrangement was known as the "formula".
In the years immediately following 1953, the full receipts from fees were not needed for programme expenditure and the balance was surrendered to the Exchequer as had always been the case when the Vote had not been expended in full. As plans for better programmes costing more money were made and put into execution, the annual expenditure came closer to the receipts. Although the approved formula was not formally abolished or altered, the amount provided for the year with which we are dealing— 1957/58—is about £30,000 less than it would have been if the formula had operated in full, including the grant of a subsidy for all the equipment needed.
The amount in the Estimate was, however, settled for the coming year under somewhat abnormal circumstances. Last year, the Government approved in principle of a further reorganisation of Radio Eireann which would have put a statutory board in charge and the financial structure was left to be worked out between the two Ministers principally concerned, Finance and Posts and Telegraphs. No agreement had, however, been reached between these Ministers by the time of the dissolution of the Dáil, so that the Estimate, which had then to be prepared hurriedly, was left at the amount provided last year and this, as I have stated, is considerably less than would have been the case had the formula operated in full.
The Department of Finance, in agreeing to repeat last year's figure, recognised that the reorganisation proposals would probably have to be examined again after the general election and that an opportunity would then be available to make any adjustment that appeared to be called for. I would like to be able to get back to the formula, as, on a cursory study, I feel that broadcasting is a service which needs to plan well in advance and that its approved financial arrangements should not be disturbed without serious cause. However, that is a matter I shall have to examine in more detail.
Before I say anything about the future reorganisation contemplated, may I make a brief reference to the present organisation? From my observations as a listener. I am convinced that the standard of the Radio Eireann programmes has improved very considerably since the immediate control was entrusted to a Comhairle with the Director. Whether that improvement was due to better direction, to the decision of the Minister to keep the station away as far as possible from ministerial and parliamentary intervention in details, or whether it was due to better financial provision, I cannot say. Probably the improvement was due in part to all the three causes I have mentioned. I pay tribute to what has been done since 1953, but I do not feel that there is any reason for complacency or for resting on oars. I am sure the service could be improved further in many respects and I am glad to say that the Comhairle and the Director agree with me fully in that.
With that agreement, however, I have got from them a list of things which Radio Eireann has not got but which it should have, if it is to continue to fulfil its mission of providing programmes of entertainment, education and information of a type and standard which will hold Irish people by their distinctive national flavour and atmosphere and prevent them from being wholly absorbed in the broadcasting output of another country.
Here are some of the deficiencies from which, I am informed, Radio Eireann still suffers. I am told that no broadcasting organisation in Europe, except Radio Eireann, is dependent for its studios on office rooms, with all their imperfections in acoustics and sound properties. The single programme which is put out for a restricted number of hours daily cannot be heard effectively by all the people of the country, particularly by those in the outer areas, although they pay the same licence fee as the others. At this stage in sound broadcasting development, listeners also expect to be able to tune in to a second programme of a different type from the general service. Radio Eireann has not been able to provide such a programme for financial reasons. I understand, in fact, that Radio Eireann is given only just half the annual sum for its operations that is made available to every small broad-casting organisation on the Continent.
I am quoting what I have been informed as being responsible for keeping Radio Eireann back from making the further improvements it would like to make. I am not saying now that I either agree or disagree with the statement of deficiencies because I simply do not know enough about the service to commit myself to a definite opinion on any single issue. I do know, of course, that a site was purchased for broadcasting headquarters just ten years ago, but the high cost prevented Governments from proceeding with the building. The present may not be a more favourable time than during the past ten years for very expensive buildings and I do not know if anything could be done by stages. Those responsible for producing Radio Eireann programmes would certainly like to have some relief from the existing studios, which must be regarded as little better than makeshift.
Whilst on the subject of accommodation, I may say that the new studios in the Cork Municipal School of Music are now almost completed. Installation of broadcasting equipment in a new studio centre is always a protracted business but it is expected that the studios will be ready for use within the next few months. In the mean-time, the members of the new programme staff for Cork are being recruited so that they can be trained and ready to contribute programmes as soon as the studios themselves are ready. It will then be possible to initiate more programmes and more ambitious types of programme from Cork. I hope that we shall soon see the results in an increasing element in the Radio Eireann programmes of items which reflect the distinctive character of the City and County of Cork and the Province of Munster generally. The quality of the programmes should, of course, also show a big improvement because of the better studio facilities that will be available.
One of the matters referred to in which I feel a particular interest, although I have not, of course, studied the financial implications of improving the position, is the inability of listeners in the outer fringes to receive the existing Radio Eireann programmes effectively. I understand the remedy for this would likely be brought about by the erection of transmitters using very high frequencies or, in other words very short waves. Instead of a single transmitter serving the whole country a number of smaller transmitters would have to be provided on high ground throughout the country and I am informed that reception from these transmitters is much clearer than from medium or long wave transmitters.
The Radio Eireann engineers have been carrying out a study of the most suitable locations for VHF transmitters but the actual erection and operation would be fairly costly. Even if transmitters could not be provided for a complete second network, I would much like to be able to improve the position for the bad reception districts. The whole matter, including the cost, will, however, have to get very detailed investigation and there are other difficulties, such as the need for listeners to get special receivers for VHF or to provide adapters for their existing sets.
While the Comhairle Organisation for Radio Eireann brought about great changes for the better in broadcasting standards, particularly in the freedom it gave to broadcasters to express their views, the last Government had, as I stated, decided on a further advance and had approved in principle of the setting up of a board by statute to control the operations of broadcasting. I understand the intention was to establish a public service type of organisation, that is, it would not be a purely private body but, on the other hand, it would be responsible to the Minister only in matters of broad policy.
The Fianna Fáil Government had, as I mentioned, set up in 1953 what might be termed the present halfway-house type of organisation and I have not yet had an opportunity of consulting the Government as to whether in the light of the favourable experience of the past four years they would be disposed to establish formally by statute the kind of organisation that has, in practice, been in operation during that period. I shall have to bring the matter before the Government for consideration during the year. In the meantime, I have asked the members of the Comhairle if they would remain in office for an indefinite period and they have agreed to do so.
Generally, Ministers in speaking on the Broadcasting Estimate have referred in some detail to the main programme activities during the previous year. I do not feel it necessary or appropriate to do so for two reasons. First, I have had no official connection with the service during the past year and secondly, broadcasting activities, so far as the programmes are concerned, are as well known to every member of the House as to the Minister. Instead of giving my views on the Radio Eireann programmes. I will content myself by asking Deputies to give me their own comments.
It would help me considerably, however, if their remarks were directed to matters of policy or programme trends rather than to individual programmes. I may, however, remind you that the Radio Eireann programmes, in addition to their ordinary output of information and entertainment all the year round, have dealt as usual with the special occasions that arise during the year— Holy Week, Easter Week, An Tóstal, Christmas Week, and so on, with the addition this year of a General Election.
In particular Radio Eireann has been able to continue its co-operation in artistic activities outside the studio, not only by the public concerts given by the Radio Eireann Symphony Orchestra both in Dublin and in other cities of Ireland, but by supplying an indispensable element of co-operation in two seasons of opera given by the Dublin Grand Opera Society, and in the season of opera provided by the Wexford Festival. The station has also taken part in the activities of the European Broadcasting Union and the Italia prize competition and has produced and transmitted special programmes by arrangement with the Council of Europe and United Nations Radio, New York, in addition to providing facilities to many overseas broadcasting organisations gathering programme material in this country.
Now I want to say a word about television. More and more television aerials are going up, in Dublin and other parts of the country. All the people in the houses under those aerials are watching purely British programmes. It is only natural to say "Why cannot we have a television service of our own?" I wish we could, and I hope some day we shall. The difficulties in the way are financial, and I do not yet know how they can be solved. I am now studying the reports on the possibilities prepared by my Department, as well as the proposals for privately-operated, commercial television which my predecessors and I have received from time to time.
I think it would be a grave decision to entrust the control of so powerful a medium as television to any private concern, working mainly for profit, and I should much prefer to see television established as a public service of some kind, probably integrated with the present sound broadcasting organisation, since in our small country they would both be fishing in the same pool. I know what a boon an Irish television service would be in the remote countryside. But it is important not to be misled into starting a scheme that would merely result in giving the Dublin area a poor copy of British programmes, whilst the rest of the country gained no benefit, and might even have to subsidise a service that they could not receive.
And before I leave the subject I think it desirable to state, for general information, that persons who have television sets only, must possess wireless licences, otherwise they run the risk of prosecution and the confiscation of their sets just as persons in possession of sound radio sets do who fail to take out or renew their licences. The number of persons who have television sets only is growing and it would be bad for our broadcasting finances generally if the idea gained currency among them that the law did not apply to them.
I have had as yet only very few contacts with the Comhairle, Director and Broadcasting officials but I have been impressed by the willingness of all to help the Minister to grasp the intricacies of this unusual type of Civil Service Department. I wish to thank them and the staff generally in Radio Eireann for their work in keeping going a service which has to produce programmes to a strict time schedule for 364 days in the year.