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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 18 Nov 1953

Vol. 143 No. 2

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Sponsored Programmes.

asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will state whether the number of sponsored programmes from Radio Éireann will be increased; whether any applications have been refused and if any are under consideration.

Before replying I should like to make a brief comment about this and another question regarding sponsored programmes on to-day's Order Paper. The House has given approval to the general idea that the day-to-day management of Radio Éireann should be left to the comhairle and the director. The admissibilityof radio advertising and the scope and character of such programmes are among the policy matters reserved to Ministers or Governments in all countries and are specifically reserved to our Government. The following represents the general position, it being quite clear that the particular characterisation of individual programmes is left to the comhairle and director.

It is not intended to make further time available for sponsored programmes. All the time allocated for such programmes is now fully booked and no further programmes can be taken on unless some of the existing programmes are discontinued. No eligible application has been refused but some have had to be put on a waiting list.

Might I ask whether the broadcasting authorities have now decided to have a sponsored programme section of wireless broadcasting and whether it is true that Senator Noel Hartnett is about to be put in charge of that section?

That is a separate question.

He was sacked before.

He is coming back again.

That is why Deputy Little was not allowed to be a member of the Government.

Might I ask the Minister how, when or where did this House give authority to vest in the comhairle and the director the powers that now seem to be invested in them?

I do not know how long the Deputy has been in this House but he will find that even before the reorganisation took place a great many Deputies did their best to co-operate with the Minister of the day and to avoid trying to interfere with programmes, quite apart from the recent reorganisation that has taken place.

The Minister said to-day and yesterday that thisHouse gave him a certain authority whereby full control over Radio Éireann was vested in the director and the comhairle. I want to point out that, as far as I am concerned and as far as this Party is concerned, there was never before Dáil Éireann any motion or Bill to vest that power.

I must stick to this particular question. There have been questions on individual items. In the course of the debate on the Estimate not only did Deputies from every Party disagree about almost every type of programme but they admitted that they were not in a position to interfere with individual items.

The Minister has responsibility.

The Minister is stating something that is not true.

asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will state (1) the number of sponsored programmes broadcast from Radio Éireann at present; (2) the charges per quarter-hour for these broadcasts, and (3) the income received in each of the years 1950, 1951 and 1952 and in 1953 to date for such programmes.

Apart from the Hospitals' Trust Programme, which is broadcast for a half-hour each night, 41 quarter-hour programmes sponsored by 31 different firms are now broadcast each week.

The normal booking fee is £30 per quarter-hour, with a preferential rate of £20 for wholly Irish firms. Somewhat higher fees apply to midday programmes if the contract is terminated before the end of a complete year.

The net income received from all sponsored programmes was as follows:—

1950

£44,648

1951

£44,403

1952

£58,136

1953 (to 16th November)

£62,304

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