Vol. 548 No. 2
346 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands the progress she has made in introducing requirements on Irish television broadcasters to provide sub-titling of their programmes to make them more accessible to persons with hearing problems; the current percentage of programmes with appropriate sub-titling; and the target she has set for the next 12 months and for the next five years in this regard. [4744/02]
Section 19 (11) of the Broadcasting Act, 2001, which was commenced on 1 September 2001, provides that the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland shall make rules requiring each broadcaster to take specified steps to promote the understanding and enjoyment, by persons who are deaf or hard of hearing, of programmes transmitted on any broadcasting service provided by him or her. The making and enforcement of such rules are the responsibility of the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland which is statutorily independent of my Department.
