Vol. 574 No. 1
128 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if he has received a letter from the RTE Authority expressing concern that his proposal to alter the status of the station will threaten its independence and future as a public service broadcaster; if so, his views on the issues raised in the letter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26276/03]
The decision taken by the Government last December to substantially increase the level of the television licence fee was one element of a broader package of measures directed at securing the future of public service broadcasting in Ireland. Following the Government decision, I wrote to the chairman of the RTE Authority informing him of the decisions taken by Government.
In February 2003, the chairman wrote to me setting out the view of the authority on various elements of the Government decision. In that letter, the chairman indicated that the authority considered that the decision to establish RTE as a company incorporated under the Companies Act could diminish its independence as the national public service broadcaster. In my reply, I stated that I did not understand this assertion and explained that this element of the Government's decision was about good corporate governance. I explained that it is about ensuring that the national broadcaster is structured in a manner best suited to delivering on its responsibilities to the licence fee paying public. I also made clear that the Government was unequivocal that RTE must continue to have total editorial independence.
My Department is at present preparing draft legislation to give effect to the Government decision. My Department will consult widely in this regard. The draft legislation will seek to ensure greater consistency in the regulation of Irish broadcasters and will be sensitive to the need to guarantee the editorial independence of broadcasters.
