Vol. 401 No. 2
5 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Communications if he has any plans to change the method of appointment of members of (a) the RTE Authority or (b) the Independent Radio and Television Commission; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I have no such plans.
In view of the fact that the recently appointed RTE Authority has been stacked with members and supporters of Fianna Fáil, sprinkled with one or two Progressive Democrats' supporters, and that the IRTC are equally well endowed with Fianna Fáil supporters, though the practice of appointing party hacks to these important bodies is not one that is confined to the present Government, would the Minister agree that the public have lost confidence in the political impartiality of these bodies and that the time has come to establish a more independent method of the appointment of members to the RTE Authority and the IRTC?
I totally reject the phrase "party hacks". Because somebody happens to have a political viewpoint, whether they be supporters of Fine Gael, Labour or The Workers' Party, that should not debar them from membership of any organisation. It shows they are involved in their community and are prepared to work. That is not to suggest that the recently appointed RTE Authority or the Independent Radio and Television Commission comprise people with strong political views. On the contrary, I am very pleased with the warmth of the welcome outlined in the staff association magazine in RTE to the appointment of the chairman of the RTE Authority recently. I do not want to give individual names. I totally reject the suggestion that the RTE Authority and the IRTC have lost the confidence of the people. It has been generally accepted that the IRTC, under the chairmanship of former Supreme Court Justice Henchy, have been totally transparent in the operation of their mandate at the public hearings into each of the applications for the national licence and the county licences.
They have been seen to be doing an excellent job under the mandate given by these Houses. As regards the remaining members of the RTE Authority, the Government very much appreciate that people are prepared to take on the onerous task of serving.
I fully accept that membership of or support for a political party does not debar one from serving on a public body or being employed by a public body. Could the Minister explain the remarkable coincidence with regard to the composition of the most recently appointed RTE Authority? It is made up of a close relative of two Fianna Fáil politicians, a Fianna Fáil councillor from Cork, a further member who says he has always been a supporter of Fianna Fáil and——
I appeal to Deputies to avoid references to persons outside the House, in such a manner that they may be identifiable. It is a convention of this House that we do not do so, for the obvious reason that this is a privileged assembly and we ought not to reflect on persons outside the House who have no proper recourse to suitable action.
I am trying to establish the criteria used by the Minister in deciding the membership of the RTE Authority, in view of the fact that seven of the nine recently appointed members of the Authority are either members of the Fianna Fáil Party or known supporters of the present Government. Can the Minister explain what criteria he uses in deciding the membership of the Authority or of the IRTC?
As they perform their tasks publicly, they are subject to examination in relation to such performance. The Government appreciate that people are prepared to serve on such high profile authorities as the RTE Authority and the IRTC, in view of the fact that they recognise that they will be subject to political sniping. They are prepared to put their names forward and to serve on behalf of the nation. I have no doubt that they are men and women of the highest integrity who will perform their duties in the best interests of the organisation they serve and the country generally. That has been the tradition of the members of State boards and I see no reason why that system, which has served the country so well through the years, should be changed. I should be interested to see a list of the industrial branch of some of the parties in this House and see if they are prepared to put their names in front of the public in the same way as the members of these authorities.
I thought the Minister had it already.
While I fully subscribe to the points made by Deputy Gilmore and I think it is a pity that the Authority and the commission have been so politicised, unlike those that preceded them, have any new instructions been given to the new RTE Authority about the financial management of that organisation, in view of legislation which is before the House?
That is a totally separate question. The appointment of the various authorities, boards and semi-State boards is governed by the same legislation which operated when the Deputy was Minister. We had this discussion at great length in the House and the Deputy was fully chastised by one of the excellent back bench contributions from this side.
Would the Minister not accept that the Authority, unlike that which preceded it, is politically biased and incapable of discharging its legal duties?
I do not accept that.
I do not understand why the Minister should respond in this very curt fashion. This is part and parcel of the problem which the Minister has with the passage of the Broadcasting Bill. This type of reply which we have been getting for two years has not helped to create a proper atmosphere in which to discuss communications. I regret that the Minister will not give consideration to the performance of the commission. There is ample evidence of incompetence within the commission, since they have in their possession many applications which have been with them since 1988 from community broadcasting organisation, yet they have not addressed them. When can we expect some information from the commission?
I am very anxious to assist Deputy O'Sullivan in eliciting information but he may not make a speech.
The day-to-day work of the commission is a matter for them and if the Deputy has any complaint about their approach to community radio he should contact the commission itself. The IRTC under their mandate have quite recently advertised for expressions of interest from companies around the country who are keen on community broadcasting.
From the Minister's side swipe after my last supplementary it would appear that I struck a raw Ministerial nerve. Would it not be a better way of appointing the RTE Authority to have the members drawn from nominating bodies whose political impartiality could not be questioned or at at minimum that the appointment of the members of the RTE Authority and the IRTC, in view of the central role in communications, should be brought before this House for approval? Would he not consider that as a minimum measure to lift the cloud of public concern that exists over the political partiality of the appointments?
I do not accept the suggestion of lack of impartiality. We have been served very well by members of the public who have allowed their names to go forward to serve on State boards since the foundation of the State, and we have no reason to think that the present membership of the RTE Authority or IRTC will change that.
