I was inquiring last night from the Minister what the special significance of paragraph (n) was. He was explaining that it introduced nothing new so I took the trouble to get the Principal Act of 1960. If Deputies look at subsection (2), paragraphs (a) to (k), they will see that there are provided in these several paragraphs, which are all subject to a general provision in subsection (1), powers to enable the Authority to do all that is necessary to be done. What I do not understand is why the Minister desires further to supplement the general character of subsection (1) of section 16 which reads:
The Authority shall establish and maintain a national television and sound broadcasting service and shall have all such powers as are necessary for or incidental to that purpose.
Any reasonable reading of that general subsection will, I think, lead the House to believe that in case of any national emergency, or in a situation requiring communication urgently to be made to the public at large on behalf of the Government in the public interest, the general subsection (1) gives the Authority all the powers it needs. Subsection (2) goes on then to say:
In particular and without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1) of this section, the Authority shall have the following powers . . .
It can do a number of additional things, things associated with correspondence, for instance, with foreign broadcasting companies or foreign broadcasting authorities and it is quite understandable that the general power to maintain a national service requires to be supplemented by this specific provision. But, over and above that, they were entitled to enter into correspondence with foreign broadcasting bodies. Now we find that, in addition to the special powers included in subsection (2) for corresponding with foreign broadcasting authorities, we begin with a new paragraph (1), which is quite understandable, that further expands Telefís Éireann's right to correspond with a foreign broadcasting enterprise. Then we come to paragraph (m) in this Bill. That speaks of, subject to the consent of the Minister, compiling, publishing and distributing, with or without charge, recorded aural and visual material.