Vol. 475 No. 3
2 Miss de Valera asked the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht the consultations, if any, he has had with trade union and broadcasting interests in relation to his proposals for the broadcasting industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4719/97].
As the Deputy is aware, I received in excess of 130 responses to the Green Paper on the future of broadcasting which was published in May 1995. These responses were from all the interested parties in broadcasting, including the relevant trade union groups.
I have now brought my legislative proposals to Government and I hope it will consider them shortly. I am seeking its approval to have them published and I will take into consideration any observations that I may receive in the course of drafting the Bill that will be presented to the Oireachtas in due course.
Interested parties in RTE, not least the trade unions, are concerned about the lack of consultation with regard to the Minister's proposals for the broadcasting industry. Will he agree that all we have to go on is information leaked to the newspapers about what is contained in the Government memorandum? Are investigations being conducted to discover the source of these leaks? Is the Taoiseach taking an interest in the matter?
I have not been concentrating my valuable time on investigating the source of the leaks. I circulated the memo to my colleagues in Government in November. A version of this memo appeared in a popular newspaper and a second version appeared in another newspaper in January and February. What appeared in the newspapers contains some of the elements of the memo properly circulated to my Government colleagues. I cannot control matters in relation to the dissemination of documents.
I have met the trade union groups since publication of the Green Paper. I am seeking the Government's permission to publish my legislative proposals for discussion with interested groups. The Bill will deal with most of the matters discussed in the newspapers, including public service broadcasting at a time of rapid technological change, the concept of regulation in a new environment, the future of Teilifís na Gaeilge, major sporting and special events, heritage matters in respect of which one might wish to protect the public's right of access, the structure within which new technologies might be developed and governance structures. I will discuss all these matters once the heads of the Bill have been approved by Government.
It is over a year since the publication of the Green Paper. Will the Minister agree that he has had ample time for a discussion of his proposals in a White Paper and that we should have the legislation in front of us for implementation? Will he agree that all we have to go on is the information leaked to the newspapers? RTE, as we know it, is likely to be dismantled, yet the RTE Authority and other interested parties within the broadcasting industry have not been consulted on the matter. Will the Minister agree that the trade unions are worried about the proposed commission and the mixing of editorial and administrative structures? They are of the view that this approach should not be taken. They are also worried about the privatisation of elements of the national public broadcasting service. I presume they are referring to transmission facilities. Does the Minister intend to hive these off?
This question deals with consultations with the trade unions.
I will be consulting on all these matters. The Deputy has constructed a long list but I have made no proposals for privatisation either in the Green Paper, since its publication or in any meetings I have had.
Are the transmission facilities to be hived off?
The Deputy is trying to create a culture of fear. Following publication of the heads of the Bill, there will be consultation with the trade unions and other interested parties. On the future of RTE, the mixing of its editorial and administrative structures is news to me. I have never interfered with its internal workings. I am responsible for broadcasting legislation. Every single matter raised by the Deputy can be the subject of consultation but I am at a loss to understand her attitude. If I move forward, she will say that I am rushing the legislation and if I consult, I am delaying the process. I wish she would make up her mind. I can only state the facts. I profoundly disagree with her suggestions and will be consulting on every one of them.
