asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when it is proposed to provide an additional television channel for the southern part of the country.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Additional Television Channel.
106.
There are no plans at present for the provision of a second television service.
Would the Minister not accept that that type of answer will no longer satisfy the people in the south of Ireland? Is it not true that that has been the standard reply to questions like this during the past four or five years? Is the Minister not aware that there is a demand in the southern part of the country for at least one alternative channel? Taking into account that there are three here in Dublin, will he not accept the fact that the fee for the south of Ireland should be £1 16s 8d instead of £5? The Minister is a new man in the job. If he was longer in it I would be more pressing possibly. Can I get an assurance from the Minister that he will do something about this or is he just going to be dictated to by the——
Civil servants.
——powers that be? Are we to assume that Telefís Éireann are afraid that revenue from advertising would be greatly reduced if an additional channel or two additional channels were provided for the south of Ireland?
In regard to Deputy Murphy's comments on my answer I can say that my answer suits his question because his question was a very vague one. He asked if it was proposed to provide an additional channel for the southern part of the country. Deputy Murphy does not have to stress that he is from the south. I too am from the south. However, I was not sure what Deputy Murphy meant by this, whether he wanted Telefís Éireann to put on a second channel or whether he was referring to reception of outside channels.
The Minister cannot get away with that kind of an answer. Will the Minister take any steps about this? The Minister's answers are vague and, to my mind meaningless. According to his own statement he does not understand a simple question.
It is not as simple as that. An additional television channel could mean the Deputy was looking for an extra Telefís Éireann channel or he might be looking for something else. In reply to Deputy Murphy, I have no function whatsoever, as Minister for Posts and Telegraphs in regard to the reception of external programmes. There is no obligation on me to provide compensatory advantages or no obligation on me, under the present legislation, to see that BBC, ITV, UTV or Welsh Television can be brought in here.
Am I to assume then that the Minister will stick rigidly to his duties——
You should never assume what the Minister is going to do.
——that he is not going to move outside the scope of these duties? Surely as Minister responsible for Telefís Éireann it is within his competence to make representations to his colleagues in the Government if necessary to bring about this much-required amenity for the people in the southern half of the country?
Would the Minister state if any efforts have been made or if there have been any communications with outside television services in order to provide people in, say, the midlands and the extreme southern end of this country with outside television services?
Not that I am aware of.
Has the Minister any plans to make such representations in the future?
As a person from the south I would personally love to have that and Deputy Murphy and other Deputies would have my personal sympathy. I can say no more than that.
Perhaps the Minister could tell us if there are expenses and technical difficulties involved in the provision of a choice of programme for people in southern counties like Tipperary and Limerick?
I imagine there would be. I have not got the information to answer that. Booster stations would probably be required to provide that.
Acting Chairman
I shall allow one more supplementary question.
May I ask the Minister if he is aware of Telefís Éireann's desire to enter into the communal aerial business, aerials serving, say, up to 500 people, that if they go into this business it would be normal to expect that they would provide all channels and could these aerials not be erected in the south as well as in Dublin, providing these three channels? Perhaps the Minister will look into the matter.
I certainly will.
I want to ask——
Acting Chairman
I am sorry. I will not allow any more supplementaries. Question No. 107.
Is the Minister not aware of the poor quality of Telefís Éireann programmes——
(Interruptions.)