asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the legislative plans he has (a) to deal with the recent rapid expansion of pirate radio and TV broadcasting and (b) to license local and community radio; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Pirate Radio and TV Broadcasting.
10.
The growth of illegal broadcasting is not a recent phenomenon. Action is being taken as opportunity occurs against illegal stations and I hope to introduce more effective legislation for dealing with this problem within the next six months.
Would the Minister admit to the House that the Broadcasting and Wireless Telegraphy Bill, 1979, could deal properly with this situation? Will he tell the House why he has discarded that legislation, thrown it out, and we are now going to wait a considerable time before the new legislation is prepared and brought into this House? If there were aspects of that legislation with which he did not agree, would the sensible course not be to bring the Bill in here and amend it in the course of its passage through this House.
I agree with the Deputy that that draft Bill is available and I hope to introduce it in the session commencing after Christmas.
Just one question. Did the Minister say that he hopes to introduce the draft Broadcasting and Wireless Telegraphy Bill, 1979?
With other legislation concerning independent broadcasting.
Would the Minister explain to me and to the House why he had a change of heart and mind since he gave his first major interview to The Sunday Press shortly after he was appointed when he said that both the Broadcasting and Wireless Telegraphy Bill, 1979, and the Independent Local Radio Bill were being thrown out and would not be introduced?
I did not. I said merely that the Independent Radio Bill would not be proceeded with. I did not make any statement with regard to the Broadcasting and Wireless Telegraphy Bill.
Is the Minister now stating that what The Sunday Press reported him to say was not correct, that he did not say that he would not introduce the Broadcasting and Wireless Telegraphy Bill, 1979? That is what the paper said. Is he saying that that report was incorrect?
I said that the Broadcasting and Wireless Telegraphy Bill would be introduced in due course together with a new Independent Broadcasting Bill.
Is he saying that The Sunday Press was incorrect?
I do not know what was in The Sunday Press.
I have two supplementaries.
One brief supplementary.
One in two parts. Did I understand the Minister correctly in an interview in Business and Finance magazine some months ago to state that his philosophy was not to have any commercial interest involved in the whole question of local radio? Did I understand him correctly to say that he saw this as primarily a role for the State? With regard to pirate television, does the Minister propose to deal with that question in the forthcoming legislation?
With regard to the first part of the Deputy's supplementary question, I am opposed to independent broadcasting being exclusively in the hands of commercial interests. That was the point I made in the article to which he referred. I would prefer to see independent radio in the hands of the local communities, with possibly some commercial involvement if that was necessary to ensure its viability.
The Minister would not rule out some commercial involvement?
No, but I see it as being very small and unattractive to commercial interests.
Would the Minister now accept that there was no basis for his criticism of the independent local radio Bill which provided for the setting up of an independent radio authority? Is he not, when criticising that Bill and saying it was designed for commercial purposes only, pre-empting the decision of an independent radio authority to issue licences both for community radio and either commercial or sub-commercial interests?
I shall be putting proposals to this House so that the Legislature can decide what sort of independent radio we have in the community.