Simon Coveney
Question:151 Mr. Coveney asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if he will request RTE to spend a minimum set percentage of television licence fee revenue on Irish programme-making. [6341/03]
Written Answers - Television Licence Fee.
I do not intend to request RTE to spend a minimum set percentage of television licence fee revenue on Irish programming. It is a matter for RTE to decide on the make-up of the programme schedules on its radio and television services that will best meet its statutory mandate. In doing so, RTE uses the combined revenues available to it from the proceeds of the television licence fee along with its commercial income. It would be artificial and less than meaningful to operate on the basis that a given programme is financed from a specific source.
In practice, however, it is already the case that RTE spends well in excess of the value of the licence fee on home produced programming. Home produced programming would include almost all programming on radio. On television, almost all news and current affairs along with sports programming is home produced. In addition a considerable sum is spent on home produced drama, entertainment and children's programming.
In defining what is public service broadcasting, I favour a broad interpretation. RTE's statutory remit mandates RTE to provide a schedule including both popular programming and programming that caters for minority interests. It is legitimate for RTE to include both quality home produced drama along with popular entertainment such as foreign game shows as part of its public service schedule.
Sometimes debate on the definition of public service broadcasting gets sidetracked into a debate on what genres of programming are of the highest value. That is an entirely different debate. Usually, however, the highest value programming is also the most costly and choices have to be made. I am satisfied that those choices are best left to RTE to make having regard to the resources available to it.