Derek McDowell
Ceist:55 Mr. McDowell asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands when the new broadcasting commission of Ireland will be established; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15730/01]
Written Answers. - Broadcasting Commission.
As I indicated in the course of my reply to the Priority Question on the commencement of the Broadcasting Act, 2001, subsection (4) of section 1 of the Broadcasting Act, 2001, provides that the Minister must sign a commencement order before the Act comes into effect. The commencement order may refer to specified provisions or be general in nature but must specify a day or days on which the Act or the specified provisions come into operation.
It is my intention to make an order bringing the whole Act into effect shortly. However, the Deputy will appreciate that it is necessary to address certain practical arrangements before this can be done. In this context I met with the Independent Radio and Television Commission on 26 March 2001 to discuss many of the issues arising from the enactment of the legislation. In addition, my Department has been in consultation with the Independent Radio and Television Commission with regard to the financial and staffing resources which it estimates it will require when it assumes the responsibilities of the new broadcasting commission of Ireland to fulfil its statutory remit. The Independent Radio and Television Commission has made a submission seeking additional resources and my Department is currently examining the submission with a view to securing the necessary sanction for the additional resources needed to carry out its new functions.
In preparation for the commencement of the Act, the Government has recently appointed four additional members to the Broadcasting Complaints Commission, BCC. Members of the BCC who are serving at the time of the commencement order will continue to serve as members following commencement. The appointment of four new members is in line with the requirement in section 22(6) of the Act that, with a nine member commission, a minimum of four members must be women and a minimum of four members must be men.
The Broadcasting Act, 2001, also provides me with enabling powers to establish Teilifís na Gaeilge as a separate statutory entity. However, as I have said previously in this House, there are many complex issues to be addressed and I do not believe it would be appropriate to establish the station as a separate statutory entity until such issues are resolved satisfactorily. I expect that the process of establishing Teilifís na Gaeilge as an independent concern will take a number of years.