asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will give an assurance that, if BBC programmes are made available to all Ireland, RTE programmes will be made available throughout the Six Counties.
28.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Availability of Television Programmes.
27.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the progress to date regarding the full transmission of the RTE television signal into the Six Counties.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 27 and 28 together. As indicated in the agreed statement issued after my recent meeting with Sir John Eden, British Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, on the question of an Irish "Open Broadcasting Area" Sir John has agreed to ask the BBC to estimate the cost of providing BBC 1 in its entirety for broadcasting here. He explained, however, that if the Irish Government found the arrangements acceptable and decided on broadcasting a BBC service in the Republic this could not be construed as binding the British Government to broadcast RTE in Northern Ireland. He also explained that the British Government had not yet decided whether the Fourth Television Channel should be brought into use and that any decision about its use in Northern Ireland would have to take into account the Government's general broadcasting policies at the time and the views of the Northern Ireland Executive.
I am hopeful that the Northern Ireland Executive will be receptive to the idea of providing a wider choice of programmes on a reciprocal basis throughout this island and as I mentioned in my reply of 24th October, 1973, to a question by Deputy Brugha, the indications are that opinion in Northern Ireland is moving in the direction of making the RTE service available to all in the North who want to see it. I believe that, in Ireland as a whole, the movement of opinion is in favour of lifting such restrictions and widening freedom of choice, within the framework of democratic responsibility.
Is the Minister changing his policy from the one to which he referred in June last?
Would the Minister say that this is the reason why he is not having the existing booster stations in Donegal, which over a long number of years have supplied limited reception in the Six County area?
This is a separate question. There is no connection.
Whatever discussions and proposals the Minister may have in mind does he realise that at this moment there is no agreement to give television reception to the Six County area? Surely we have an established right through the existing——
The Deputy will come to the point, please.
Would he not at least safeguard the rights we have——
The Deputy is adverting to a new matter. Question No. 29.
Does it not arise directly out of Question No. 28?
I understood the Ceann Comhairle to rule this to be a separate question. I believe it to be a separate question.
No matter what the Minister believes, I am entitled to submit——
The Chair is passing to Question No. 29.
——that the question arises directly out of Question No. 28, without reference to the Minister.
The Chair decided that the Deputy was introducing new matter.
This question deals with full reception, I asked the Minister what he was doing about partial reception to which we have established a right? Is that supplementary question in order?
The Chair is always anxious to assist Deputies in eliciting the fullest information from questions of this kind.
Question No. 28 deals with full transmission——
We must make progress. Question No. 29.
I am trying to be co-operative——
(Interruptions.)
Deputy Murphy must obey the Chair.
The word "obey" is doubtful.
We must make progress. Question No. 29.