I welcome this Bill and I compliment the Minister on introducing it. I have read some of the debate in the Seanad on the Bill. I also compliment the Minister on the effort he put into the task of getting a consensus opinion in regard to the second channel. It is good to find such a wide cross-sectional interest in the arguments both for and against and it is a good thing for the public to have an opportunity of voicing their opinions and having their views heard. I admired the Minister for the way in which he went right across into the provinces. He took "a fair amount of stick", to use the modern expression, but that did not deter him.
I agree with what Deputy Coughlan said earlier today. People should have a choice and an opportunity of exercising that choice. Most of the people whom we have heard have invariably been from the east coast where there is a choice of channel. They have more or less endeavoured to lay down the law for the rest of the country. I do not think people living in the tradition of the Pale should come out so strongly against BBC 1 or any other outside station considering they are all enjoying these stations to their hearts' content. We must be more outward looking. I would not expect people to become worse just because they were exposed to a television programme beamed from outside the Republic of Ireland. We have a good educational system for many years and people have minds of their own and should be able to take the good with the bad and exercise a right choice. We should be more outward looking. There is a feeling in the Community that we are a little too inward looking. As chairman of the Regional Policy and Transport Commission I visited the peripheral areas of the Community and we covered most of the islands, like Sardinia and Sicily, where we found the people, like ourselves, with a very definite inward looking approach. Sometimes this approach borders on a negative attitude towards the Community. I believe it would be a good thing that we should be exposed to outside influences. In that situation it would be the clear duty of the national network to compete and that competition could well make people opt for the home produced programmes.
I am not altogether au fait with the survey. I do not know what questions were asked but, like many of my colleagues, I have spoken to someone who took part. It is difficult to assess the merits of the answers. The fact that it was carried out, even on a limited scale, is an indication of the Minister's desire to find a solution which would meet with the wishes of the widest possible cross-section of the people. I suppose it gave him an indication of that.
There are a great many more important things we need than a second television channel. At the same time, with a second channel we could concentrate on an open university or at least an open secondary education system. We could use it in a very positive way. Many of our emigrants who went to the United States, for one reason or another, had a simple national school education, but they attended night classes or an open university and took degrees in various subjects. In the United States many eminent people educated themselves when they were 20 or 30 years of age. There is a desire for education here and I should like the RTE Authority to bear that in mind.
I am not a great television fan by virtue of the fact that I rarely have an hour at home when the television programmes are on. I listen to the radio and especially to Radio na Gaeltachta. Many people do. There are many very interesting programmes. I like to listen to Radio na Gaeltachta because it gives me an opportunity of keeping the little bit of Irish I have fresh and up to date. This is a fantastic experiment. It gives the people on the western seaboard in the Gaeltacht areas a sense of belonging and a sense of identification. It is too easy for people who live in the Pale, if I may use that term, to forget about the rest of the country, not only the west.
The programme planners on Radio na Gaeltachta get a wide cross-section of people to talk about current affairs. Perhaps it is because it is a small unit and very closely organised that they are able to make the programmes so interesting. If I were to look critically at the whole service I would say it appears to be too easy for people with chips on their shoulders, or cribs, in all cases representing a very small minority, or even expressing personal views, to get time on the national and regional networks. People who may be either for or against the State are given time to express views which may be contrary to the best interest of the State. When we talk about the majority we are talking about 90 per cent or more of the population who are quite satisfied to have an organised democratic Government and society. I often wonder why the discontented minority are always bellyaching. I should not be critical of the radio or television services because I do not often have an opportunity of listening or viewing.
I want to compliment the Minister very sincerely and, indeed, the RTE Authority on the installation and development of the new medium wave transmitter in Tullamore. It has enabled me, as almost an emigrant, to keep in touch with the news programmes. The strength of the 240 metres is such that I am able to pick it up in most parts of central and northern Europe. I also understand that the reception in the UK is excellent. This should have been provided long ago. The old short wave transmitter in Athlone was an admirable experiment at that time, but it never really worked. At that stage we should have built something better in order to keep in touch with those of our population who had emigrated. Now the pattern has changed. People are not emigrating as they were. People who work in the UK or Europe for a couple of days a week, or even people on holidays, like to have some communication with home. This was long overdue.
Radio Éireann have not done very much towards advertising the fact that they have a new 500 megawatt station, I think, in Tullamore which is very effective in Europe. I picked it up in Bordeaux this year. We get it quite clearly in Luxembourg and sometimes in Brussels. It is an invaluable service for those who want to keep in touch and who, by virtue of their business, have to go away for a day or two. It gives us a lifeline with home. The papers give a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of news and current affairs, but they are not available within 24 hours of printing in many European capitals. Indeed, my colleagues and I who are in a different place every week, rely to a great extent on Radio Éireann. Radio Éireann should have made a better effort to advertise this new and more powerful transmitter, and they can reach places it was not possible for them to reach previously.
In different parts of the United Kingdom it must be refreshing for emigrants most of whom may only get home for a few weeks of the year and who have settled down and have their homes there to listen in and hear the soft Irish brogues—although there are not very many of them—on RTE and as well to hear our cultural programmes when they are transmitted. Perhaps we could do something to get that message across by extending the request programme which Radio Éireann are operating in conjunction with some of the UK regional radio networks. Perhaps an announcement could be made on one of those programmes on a Sunday afternoon to the effect that this new, powerful transmitter should be able to reach every corner of the United Kingdom.
Perhaps the Minister, when replying, could give some indication of what is the policy in regard to television and radio. It is difficult to know who television serves. I am unable to decide whether it is mainly the licence holders, station employees, Irish actors, or purely people who advertise to sell their produce as a commercial activity. I should hope that it is there in the first place for viewers. If it is there for viewers, I should like to know what is the policy of the national network. What do they want to do? What do they want to give viewers? There are a lot of useless viewing hours. Every time I watch invariably there are canned, light entertainment programmes. Some of them are quite good. One either likes American humour or the English Cockney accent or one does not. But there is very little culture.
Certainly not sufficient time is devoted to the Arts. I was interested to read some letters in the daily newspapers during the summer from people expressing views against the admirable practice of playing the Angelus on both radio and television. I think the Minister was brought into the protest in some way but I can see nothing wrong with the practice of having the Angelus on the media in a country which is 95 per cent Christian. If we were to omit it merely to please the small minority of people who believe in nothing, at least I would tell the Minister it would be no harm to expose them to the Art content of the same Angelus, which is a very nice painting of the Annunciation. If that little portion of Art and culture was to rub off on those people who do not want the religious content of a small segment of viewing time, it cannot do any harm on either score. I would request the Minister to retain it.
We should have a better balance between current affairs, culture, art and sports. Current affairs are fairly well covered, especially during the months when the "7 Days" programme is screened. It is difficult to define the area between culture and Art. The sports section is fairly well catered for. Perhaps a few of the less popular sports could get a better airing if only to introduce them to a wider audience occasionally. As far as all of those things are concerned, I would hope that the policy of the Authority would be to encourage and enthuse our youth to take sport seriously, which would not alone help them to develop mind and body but would take up more of their spare time. It is important that young people should have an opportunity of living 16 to 18 hours of every day and not be hanging around looking at some useless fiction programmes. Television programme planners must always bear this responsibility in mind. It is one which directly devolves on them.
We could see a little more of Art although I do not know how it would be possible to do so. One Art form that could be used to greater advantage is ordinary drama. There is a handful of Irish actors only—and they are very fine people—who get a chance of appearing. We do not see sufficient live plays. I take it they are ruled out on a cost basis. There are a few—perhaps one or two of Shields' plays which I remember seeing when the station was opened back in the early 1960's— which could be rescreened. Surely it should be possible to film many of those very fine Irish plays now and again or at least have a season of plays. In that way we could compensate many of our actors and actresses for the change in public habit of fewer people going to the live theatre. In Dublin as a percentage of population there are more live theatres in operation than in any other capital in the EEC but very few of the people who perform in them ever appear on television. Perhaps a particular union has the rights or something of that nature but we should utilise all our people as far as possible.
In that respect also the family could be better catered for. The only thing Telefís Éireann appear to do in this direction is to put on early 1930 or early 1940 films which in themselves were classics. Invalids and elderly people should be catered for also. Therefore, in a small country like this the job of the television Authority is certainly a difficult one because there are so many tastes to be satisfied. I suppose they have been doing a fairly good job.
I hope the moneys required to operate a second channel will be spent solely in an endeavour to enhance the lives of our people and not just for light entertainment. It should offer educational opportunities for our people who did not have such opportunities before, such as an "open university". While the number of people who would require such courses might be small, nevertheless, they should be catered for. I do not know what figures there are for the people who watch the Italian language programmes on Telefís Éireann on Sunday mornings or who watched the French and German programmes last year, but we ought to be thinking this way and giving our people an opportunity of being more outward-looking.
We should perhaps utilise other stations and not just take variety programmes from the BBC and ITV. We should be able to pick up more programmes from Eurovision. The sports section should also use those media to a greater extent. In regard to the last big boxing match that was on in the early hours of the morning, the Authority received some criticism for the amount of money they spent on providing that service. However, it was a good show and well worth while. It bears out the fact that that is the kind of service the people want, when practically everyone one met the following few days in the country had stayed up until three or four in the morning to see the fight. I hope that Telefís Éireann will continue to have this imaginative approach to the programmes they are transmitting.
I welcome section 4 of the Bill which provides for the complaints commission. This is a service which the public really need. There is nothing as frustrating as being constrained to take up the phone and lodge a complaint and get no hearing or receive a sharp answer. People have a right to have their complaints heard. From that point of view the complaints commission will be a worthwhile operation. The number of people who would take it upon themselves to make a formal complaint would be very small, but such a service will enable us to keep up our standards.
I find that the younger generation are not as easily shocked or outraged at what they see on television as people of middle age and older people, mainly because they are more exposed to various kinds of literature. Nevertheless if there are people who for some reason find that a programme or something someone said is objectionable, there should be someone there to listen to their complaint, perhaps to have an investigation and ensure, as far as possible, that that kind of thing will not happen again. It is difficult for an authority such as Radio Telefís Éireann to guarantee that somebody on a live show will not say something, intentionally or otherwise, that may offend someone. However, if people understand that the Authority will take the matter seriously and make every effort to maintain a high standard, they will have confidence in the Authority.
The number the Minister proposes for the commission appears to be very small, but I suppose it is adequate. The only reason I think it is small is that it limits the number who will have a view to express on whether or not a complaint involves a serious breach or not. At the same time we should not have a huge organisation set up who would be self-sufficient and who one could envisage supplying themselves with complaints if a sufficient number were not coming in.
I did not go along with the views expressed by the spokesman for RTE about the choice of programmes. There seems to be a contradiction here, because we have four or five radio stations and if one listens to the radio on Saturday afternoons, especially during the summer, one gets the same match or the same sports programme even on Radio na Gaeltachta. Perhaps this is because I am living in the midlands and can pick up the Radio na Gaeltachta, Dublin, Tullamore and Athlone transmitters and that I am in a privileged position, as the people of the Pale are from a television point of view. Nevertheless is it fair for the RTE Authority to say they will offer a choice of television programmes when at present they have four or five radio transmitters and are not doing that?
If someone from Radio Éireann were to refer to the timetables, I am sure he would prove that statement wrong and I would of course bow to his correction. I do not monitor the radio service, but some times, especially on Saturday evenings as I travel between one political clinic and another, I try to switch over for a little bit of soothing music to get away from so many complaints but it is not possible to get any music at all from the national station. One also gets the same racing programmes from the BBC so one is really confined to sport on those occasions.
I was interested recently in Achill, when I was on the by-election campaign, to find a great interest in and a high regard for Radio na Gaeltachta. They speak of the service as their own. I believe the same is true when one is in Connemara and the Aran Islands. I heard Deputy Callanan say recently that the new television service should be regional. I do not know if it is possible for them to give a choice. Perhaps they could have such a regional service if they erected simple studios in some areas across the country especially in the areas where they have radio studios because this would be a help to the people in the peripheral areas.
Those of us who work in Europe, as well as the commission, are very anxious that communications to and from peripheral areas should be greatly improved. When we think of communications we think mainly of roads or the telephone service. I do not know if an application has been made for grant assistance from any country to improve the broadcasting service or the television service. There is no reason why, from the article setting up the regional fund, that a company or an organisation should not apply to have funds allocated for that kind of service. Perhaps the Minister could keep that in mind.
I compliment the Minister on being so successful in his applications to the European Investment Bank for funds to improve the telephone service. As the supplies of technical equipment become available, I believe he will be able to make significant improvements in the telecommunications service in all parts of the country, especially the west. I believe there is a need for greater exposure of the problems of the western areas on the national television service. This would enable people in the urban areas of Dublin and the east coast, who are living in quite a different physical environment, to appreciate the problems that people in the western areas have to face in their everyday lives. If Telefís Éireann can educate people in that way they will be giving quite a good service. People in the eastern areas would then be able to see the need for greater contribution by the taxpayers to people who live in the remote regions of this small country.
I am confident that the Bill before us will enable the Minister and the Authority to improve the existing service. If one compares the service provided by RTE, on what must be very meagre means, with the kind of programmes one sees from time to time on other stations one realises the good job they are doing. In most of our hotel bedrooms in Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg it is possible to beam in on six or seven stations from the countries in central Europe. Even though I have been critical at times, perhaps it is the Irish temperament to offer criticism. Nevertheless, I believe, in general, the people responsible for the programmes on Telefís Éireann do a very good job having regard to all the things they have got to bear in mind such as providing programmes suitable for youth, people who are ill and elderly people. They have to try to give a mixture of sport, the Arts and culture.
Perhaps the visual arts are neglected a bit. A year or two ago the Director of the National Gallery had a small programme on television. Perhaps that could be expanded to enable people in country areas to appreciate paintings and statuary of all kinds and also appreciate the many Art treasures we have. I believe, with the increasing number of colour television sets all over the country it is important that we introduce our people to the Arts.
In relation to the Telefís Scoile programme the Department of Education should make every effort to provide schools with colour television sets so that the programmes provided can be much more effective. It is very difficult in small schools to have personnel and facilities available to teach Art. If we use our television service in a very positive way like that, even if the cost is high, it will be money well spent particularly if it gives our younger people an introduction to the finer things in life and gives them encouragement to become better citizens.
