Toddy O'Sullivan
Question:4 Mr. T. O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Communications if he has any proposals to allocate any moneys from the licence fees or any other source to commercial radio; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - RTE Income.
Gay Mitchell
Question:8 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Communications if he will rule out any payment, subsidy or subvention, whether direct of indirect, to independent radio or television stations; and if informal approaches from his Department at a senior level have been made to RTE personnel to discuss possible ways of diverting resources from RTE, whether from licence fee revenue or otherwise, to an independent radio station.
Patrick McCartan
Question:10 Mr. McCartan asked the Minister for Communications if it is intended to divert any of the licence revenue from RTE to any commercial radio station or proposed commercial television station; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Mervyn Taylor
Question:25 Mr. Taylor asked the Minister for Communications if he has any plans to give any moneys from the television licence fees to commercial radio or television; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Jim Mitchell
Question:29 Mr. J. Mitchell asked the Minister for Communications the steps, if any, he has taken to explore possible methods of financial assistance or a financial injection under any guise to any independent radio station.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 4, 8, 10, 25 and 29 together.
Neither I nor my Department have made any proposals, formal or informal, to RTE to divert income to any independent radio station.
Will the Minister give the House an assurance that he will still insist on the 20 per cent news content on commercial radio, which is a major cost factor and which would in effect be payment in kind, if he wants to drop this provision in the Act?
The Act was passed by the House and it contains a 20 per cent rule. The monitoring of that is a matter for the Independent Radio and Television Commission. I have no role in it whatsoever.
On a point of order——
Does the Minister not agree that this would call for——
The Deputy cannot move a point of order now.
——intervention by the Minister if this were to be changed, and that it is not a matter for the commission?
There is no proposal to change it.
Does the Minister intend to insist that RTE will reduce the transmission charges to the commercial radio stations?
No.
Would you agree——
On a point of order——
Question No. 5. I am sure Deputy Mitchell appreciates that he is raising a point of order now during Priority Questions time for which only 15 minutes is provided under Standing Orders. Does the Deputy wish to erode the precious time involved?
It will be brief point of order. The Minister has taken a number of questions, including some in my name, and as I have reason to believe he has misled the House, I wish to raise this matter on the Adjournment.
That is a very serious allegation.
The Deputy could have raised that at the end of Question Time. That is not a point of order.
It is a very serious and a very true allegation.
The Deputy ought not make such an allegation, and I will communicate with him——
I would appreciate if the Deputy would substantiate the allegation now. It is not true.
(Interruptions.)
It is true. After I revealed this there were panic calls to RTE from your Department.
Question No. 5.
It is not true.
It is true.
A very brief supplementary from Deputy O'Sullivan.
Will the Minister agree to a debate on the Adjournment?
(Interruptions.)
The Deputy raised a point of gross disorder in this House just now.
The Minister has misled the House.
The Deputy should not say that and he knows he should not say that.
It is not true.
The Deputy should not attribute to any Member of this House that he told a lie, or what was tantamount to a lie. The Deputy will withdraw that remark.
I never used the word "lie", you used it, a Cheann Comhairle.
You said the Minister misled the House and I said that was tantamount to saying the Minister had told a lie.
I stand over my words — he has misled the House.
It is tantamount to a lie. I must ask the Deputy to withdraw the remark or leave the House.
I have a question down. Will I get a chance to ask a supplementary?
I will leave the House rather than withdraw the remark. It is true.
It is not true.
It is absolutely true——
(Interruptions.)
You know there were panic calls to RTE.
(Interruptions.)
It is not true.
Yes it is. You know it is true.
A final supplementary from Deputy Toddy O'Sullivan. Deputy Mitchell you must leave the House.
I will leave the House.
Deputy J. Mitchell withdrew from the Chamber.
Perhaps if the Minister elaborated and assured the House that he did not put pressure on RTE to subsidise commercial radio, we would not have had this furore that we have just had. Will the Minister assure the House that he did not put pressure on RTE to subsidise commercial radio?
He has already done that.
I already did that and I take this opportunity to say again, in case there is any misunderstanding, that neither I nor my Department have made any proposals, formal or informal, to RTE to divert income to any independent radio station. Not only am I saying it but I note that the Director General of RTE has confirmed the situation.
Question No. 5, please.
Is it——
Resume your seat, Deputy.
Is it out of order for me to get in and ask a question in relation to RTE and the programme they ran last week in connection with censorship?
It is out of order, Deputy.
When will we get balanced reporting from "Today Tonight"? I would like to raise this question——
Deputy Gay Mitchell will resume his seat.
(Interruptions.)
I will not entertain questions to be raised on the Adjournment during Question Time.
(Interruptions.)
The balance of the Mitchells', one goes against RTE and one goes for them.
Question No. 5, please.