Public service media is vital to our society; it is a cornerstone of a well-functioning democracy and provides a valuable educational and entertainment service to the public.
The issue of RTÉ’s future funding cannot be addressed in isolation. As I have stated previously, any new funding model for public service media will need to provide long-term sustainable funding, not only for RTÉ but also for the provision of public service content by other media providers, including independent producers, local and community broadcasters, as well as print and online media outlets. It is also vital that media independence is protected.
High-level discussions on the options open to government are continuing but, as previously stated, a final decision will not be made until after the reports of the two independent expert advisory committees are received and considered. An examination of these recommendations prior to any decision being made is vital, as the future of RTÉ will have a significant impact on independent producers and the media sector as a whole.
A new model for funding public service content is greater importance now than it ever has been, given the impact that the RTÉ controversy has had on TV licence revenue since last July, and this Government is committed to enacting a new model.
As has always been the case, the question of how exactly funding provided to RTÉ is spent will be a matter for the Director General, given the broadcaster's statutory independence. This encompasses not only expenditure on content and services, but also on the cost of administration of the organisation, including making appropriate provision for costs which might arise following the DSP scope investigation into employment classification of individuals, which remains ongoing.
The funding of RTÉ is not the only issue when it comes to funding considerations, and this Government is committed to establishing the platform-neutral Media Fund recommended by the Future of Media Commission. Pending the introduction of the new long-term funding model, I provided an allocation of €6m this year to enable Coimisiún na Meán to bring forward two of the schemes recommended by the Future of Media Commission - the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme and the Courts Reporting Scheme.
Significant work has already taken place on the design of these schemes by my Department, with both the European Commission from a State Aid perspective, and with stakeholders. The Schemes have now been handed over to Coimisiún na Meán which recently opened a public consultation seeking views on the proposed approach to both. These schemes will provide greater support to local media in reporting matters of public interest when launched later this year. This will be in addition to the existing funding, available through the Sound and Vision Scheme, which provides vital support to independent producers and all broadcasters in developing high quality public service content for television and radio.
