Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 January 2021
282. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the reason community radio stations have been granted financial aid in 2020, while others such as a station (details supplied) have been denied same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44982/20]
View answerPart 10 of the Broadcasting Act, 2009 makes provision for the disbursement of 7% of the net television licence fee receipts to the Broadcasting Fund administered by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI). The Broadcasting Fund supports both the Sound and Vision (S&V) and Archiving Schemes. Total Licence Fee Receipts comprises monies from TV licence sales and exchequer funding from the Department of Social Protection for the operation of the free TV licence Scheme.
In July 2020, under round 36 of the Sound and Vision Scheme, the BAI announced funding awards for the community radio sector in respect of their social benefit obligations. The BAI is fully independent in respect of the projects to which it awards funding and it publishes full details of all successful applications on its website at www.bai.ie
Under round 36, Radio Corca Baiscinn was awarded €33,787 in funding for the development and production of three new projects; "Brothers of Charity", "Community Unity" and a bilingual Irish/English project "Smaointe".
