Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 October 2023
43. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if her Department sees the value in the unscripted TV sector; if she has requested additional tax incentives to be provided for unscripted TV production; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45798/23]
View answerIn the screen sector, the unscripted TV sector has been extremely successful over the past decade or so, growing exponentially both in Ireland and internationally. A wide range of unscripted programming has become household names - Love Island, The Great British Bake Off and The X Factor. In Ireland, we have many home-grown unscripted TV shows that everyone is familiar with - Ireland's Fittest Family, Operation Transformation, Ireland's Got Talent and Celebrity Bainisteoir to name but a few.
All tax reliefs and incentives are a matter for my Cabinet colleague the Minister for Finance. While there are currently no tax reliefs for unscripted tv production, in Budget 2023, the then Minister for Finance indicated that he had requested his Department to explore the opportunities for Ireland in the ‘unscripted production sector’ to encourage international players to locate here and help bolster and sustain employment in indigenous businesses.
Minister McGrath and I had a bilateral meeting in advance of Budget 2024 and we discussed the unscripted sector at that meeting. A tax relief for the unscripted sector would be considered a state-aid under EU rules and would require state aid approval from the European Commission. I understand that there are no other member states that have a tax relief for the unscripted sector. In Budget 2024, the Minister for Finance indicated that his Department will shortly begin engagement with the European Commission with a view to developing an incentive for the unscripted production sector to align with state aid rules.
