is breá liom go bhfuair mé deiseanna ar ócáidí éagsúla ó ceapadh mé mar Aire Ealaíon, Cultúir agus Gaeltachta, le freagracht orm i ndáil le polasaí craolacháin, teacht isteach sa Teach seo chun páirt a ghlacadh i ndíospóireachtaí faoi chúrsaí craolacháin. Perhaps the most significant of these debates was during the passage of the Broadcasting Authority (Amendment) Act, 1993, through its various Stages before this House.
I believe it is opportune to reflect on developments since that time. The 1993 legislation was passed and, in removing the statutory advertising revenue and minutage limits imposed by the Broadcasting Act, 1990, addressed a then serious and growing crisis in the broadcasting, advertising, marketing and independent film production sectors. The 1993 Act also required RTÉ to make available a specific and growing amount of funding each year for the commissioning of independently produced programmes. RTÉ's report on the first year of the operation of these provisions, which was laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas in May of last year, showed that a total of 258 hours of programming at a cost of £5.53 million were commissioned. Independent programmes covered a number of programme stands, including features and sport, current affairs, drama, Irish language programmes, agriculture and gardening, variety, documentaries and young peoples' programming.
I welcomed the generally positive tone of the report and I believe it shows the capacity of independent Irish programme makers to contribute to the schedules of the national broadcaster. The report on RTÉ activities in 1995, during which the figure for independent productions was £6.5 million, is due before 31 March and I look forward to another successful year of commissioned programmes.
Another major development in broadcasting matters was the decision by Government to proceed with the establishment of Teilifís na Gaeilge as a separate national channel. Senators will be aware that until Teilifís na Gaeilge can be established as a separate legal entity, RTÉ have been entrusted with the establishment and initial operation of the station. RTÉ has appointed an advisory committee — Comhairle Theilifís Gaeilge — to advise on certain matters, such as staffing, the character of the new service and the stockpiling of programmes prior to transmission.
RTÉ expects that the service will come on air on 31 October this year. A considerable amount of the technical infrastructure has been built. Tá tús curtha leis an obair thógála do Cheannáras Theilifís na Gaeilge i mBaile na hAbhann. Tá roinnt de na príomh-tharchurad óirí insealbhaithe, agus tástáil déanta orthu, cheana féin agus beidh an próiséas sin críochnaithe leis na príomhtharchuradó irí uile faoi dheireadh an Earraigh. Tá an obair i nDáil leis an gcóras ceangail tarchuradóireachta ag dul ar aghaidh go maith freisin.
On the programming side, the first round of commissions was published in April 1995. De thoradh an chéad bhabhta coimisiúnaithe, tá Teilifís na Gaeilge tar éis conradh a thairiscint cheana féin do bhreis agus fiche comhlacht léirithe i ngach cúige den tír, Tuaisceart Éireann ina measc. De thoradh na gconarthaí seo, beidh 30 uair a chloig de chláracha nua á léiriú don stáisiún. Creidim gur sheol os cionn 40 comhlacht iarratais isteach de thoradh an dara babhta coimisiúnaithe agus go bhfuil na hiarratais sin á meas faoi láthair, rud atá fior freisin faoi na tairiscintí do léiriú Ros na Rún. There is no doubt but that considerable benefits will accrue to the independent companies as a result. A second round was published in September 1995 and the staff of Teilifís na Gaeilge have high hopes of success in this round also.
The local radio sector continues to consolidate its position as an essential part of the choice of broadcasting services available to the Irish viewer and listener. Senators will also be aware that the Independent Radio and Television Commission recently awarded the franchise for a national independent radio service and is in consultation with the promoters of a national independent television service. These undertakings will, if successful — and I wish them every success — add considerably to the choice on offer to Irish viewers and listeners.
This brings me to the Green Paper on the future of broadcasting — an Páipéar Glas. The developments, to which I have already referred, provide a sound basis on which to formulate a strategy and policy for the future. However, it would be foolhardy not to recognise that there are many challenges facing us in the future as the world of broadcasting changes through technological development and changes in attitude to the regulation of the broadcasting sector. Our broadcasting structures are essentially 30 years old and it is time to review them. It is vital, in attempting to devise a regulatory environment and structures for broadcasting which will last into the next century, that we set a clear philosophical foundation on which to build our regulatory structure.
I have subtitled the Green Paper —"Active or Passive? Broadcasting in the Future Tense"— nó mar atá san fhotheideal Gaeilge, "Gníomhach nó Fulangach? Fáthmheas ar an Réimse Craolacháin". The key question for us all to address is whether in the future we become passive consumers of a product manufactured and distributed by some distant conglomerate, or are we to be active and in control of our culture and our means of expression; is broadcasting to be an essential element of a healthy democratic process or is it to become in effect an electronic dictator? Those questions were posed at the core of the Green Paper which was derived from my general cultural policy of being democratic, participatory and interactive. On the other hand, the question arose as to whether broadcasting would be elitist, market-driven and exclusive, the opposite of my proposal. I welcome the fact that this is a matter of some debate.
The Green Paper was designed to stimulate a broad ranging and constructive debate on the future of broadcasting in Ireland. It raised over 50 issues. These included the future and relevance of public service broadcasting; the funding of broadcasting services; Irish language broadcasting. It asks such questions as: is the existing duopoly in broadcasting bodies appropriate for the future; should broadcast transmission be a separate commercial activity; are the statutory obligations relating to objectivity and impartiality being observed; should RTÉ radio and television be split up; what are the best structures for Teilifís na Gaeilge and where does Raidió na Gaeltachta fit in; is there a demand for regional, local and community television services and how can they be facilitated; how are children and young people to be served by our broadcasting services; where does broadcasting fit in relation to the education system; how can editorial choice in news and current affairs programming be provided for listeners and viewers nationally in the absence of alternative national services to those provided by RTÉ and where does international broadcasting fit into the scheme of things?
The Green Paper, as is the norm, did not, in general, draw any conclusions. Rather it raised issues that seemed to be important in an attempt to set the framework for the debate and, as can be seen, the many issues raised are on two levels, the philosophical and the practical. I believe that they can be reduced to three questions: what is public service broadcasting? Is it relevant in today's broadcasting environment and, if so, can we guarantee its future?
I am pleased to inform the House that I have received 130 responses to the Green Paper from a wide range of interests including broadcasters, programme makers, commentators, representative associations, trade unions, interested viewers and listeners and, of course, political parties. I have become familiar with many of the points of view expressed and the process of developing firm proposals on the core issues is beginning to get under way.
When I published the Green Paper, I had intended to follow with a White Paper in which my proposals for the future would be laid out. However, I am concerned at the amount of time the publication of a formal White Paper would add to the legislative process. It is now my intention to bring my new legislative proposals to Government during the course of this year. However, there will be an opportunity to debate and comment on the definitive legislative proposals that will emerge. Senators will appreciate that I cannot bring forward proposals for debate or take definite stances on the details of what might emerge from the process until I have had the opportunity to bring proposals to Government.
I have been clear that it is my conviction that the public service model of broadcasting with, as I have described before, its inherent democratic values is the model that will best serve the interests of Irish citizens in the future. If this is the accepted view, we will have to face up to what this may entail in terms of revised structures and funding.
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of turning the first sod at the site of the headquarters for Teilifís na Gaeilge in Baile na hAbhainn. In my speech on that occasion I referred to the debate about Teilifís na Gaeilge as being a debate about national self respect, féin mheas náisiúnta. This is true about broadcasting and media in general. I was particularly interested in Professor Finbar Bradley's contribution to the Teilifís na Gaeilge debate in today's Irish Times. Professor Bradley recognises that there is more to a broadcasting service than simply whether the service makes money. He recognises the contribution a service such as Teilifís na Gaeilge can make in social, cultural and economic terms by the contribution it makes to national self-confidence and a spirit of self-reliance.
We are undoubtedly at a crossroads in relation to the impact of technology on our lives, particularly in relation to the media. I repeat that model which I have, to some extent, taken from the late Professor Raymond Williams's thinking — active or passive, are we to be the arrow or the target? Broadcasting with its ability to reach into the lives of everyone on a constant basis can have a fundamental impact on how we think, how we shape our views of ourselves and of the world, how we put contemporary events into context and how we evolve our system of values. If broadcasters who are part of and responsible to the communities which they serve and with which they interact cannot be sustained and supported in the new environment, then we are condemning our audiences to being no more than targets for the sale of goods and services. We, as legislators, must ensure that there will be access for Irish voices and views and that the creativity of Irish programme makers can be affirmed in a complex array of audiovisual services which is becoming available. When I speak about voices, I mean all the different voices. We have tried to evolve to a point where we have included many people whose voices were lost before.
I am aware that some Senators have been interested in subscription or pay per view television services, particularly the buying up of exclusive rights to major sporting events. This is just one practical example of what I mean when I say that public service broadcasters with their tradition of universal reception must be supported. I am sure many viewers would consider RTÉ to have failed in its public service remit if it did not provide coverage of the All-Ireland finals or soccer and rugby international matches. I realise that in Britain certain events are listed to prevent them going exclusively to pay per view channels, but I cannot say at present if similar legislation would be possible or appropriate here. One cannot simply legislate away the rights of sporting organisations, particularly international bodies. We may have to ensure that public service broadcasters can compete with the transnational services which would seek to corner the market on popular programming.
As I said in chapter 1 of the Green Paper, broadcasting exists today within a set of contradictions. One can have great expectations for broadcasting. It can be the motor of modernisation, cultural innovation, social transformation and democratisation. It can cultivate a healthy public sphere in which national self-confidence flourishes and is oriented towards the future as a set of challenges to be met in a progressive way. It can critically interrogate a nation's history, culture and identity and offer a vantage point for the renewal of that heritage. Radio, because of its relatively inexpensive operating costs compared with television and its less daunting technology for participants, can be an essential vehicle to facilitate public communication and debate.
However, broadcasting can also be a threat, putting profit motive against collective rights, deterritorialised imperialism against minority cultural needs. It can disfigure us politically, homogenise us linguistically and depress our inclination for cultural expression. Despite this depressing list of threats I am not pessimistic in my expectations for the future. I am confident that we can together identify ways in which, through legislation, we can maximise the promise and reduce the threat.
Faoi mar atá ráite agam, is amhlaidh go bhfuilimíd ag crosbhealach ó thaobh na teicneolaíochta de, agus ó thaobh na meán cumarsáide ach go háirithe. Tá sé rí-thábhachtach, mar sin, go ndéanfaí breithniú cúramach ar bhonn forleathan ar an todhchaí atá ag teastáil uainn i ndáil leis na gcúrsaí seo uile. Sa chomhthéacs sin, cuirim fáilte ar leith roimh an díospóireacht sa Teach seo inniú agus beidh mé ag tnúth go mór le tuairimí na Seanadóirí a fháil.
