The appointment of a review body has been outlined in this amendment. It is proposed that we have a broadcasting council and include on it representatives of the Authority which means effectively interposing yet another layer of bureaucracy. One of the difficulties is that we have this tendency to appoint more bodies than necessary in this relatively small country. In this case it is difficult to see what real benefit which would accrue from having this very unwieldy body as suggested in the amendment. It is suggested it would include representatives of the Authority. Presumably the Authority has access to the Minister in any event.
Subsection (2) states that the Broadcasting Council shall consist of representatives of the Authority, the Independent Radio and Television Commission, radio and television broadcasting contractors, advertisers, newspapers, faculties of communications in the institutes of higher learning, the trade unions, the Irish language and such other persons as the Minister thinks fit. It seems almost ludicrous that in subsection (3) of this amendment it is then suggested that there shall not be more than 18 members on the Broadcasting Council. How can you fairly represent so many different interests if you have only 18 members on any such body?
Subsection (4) states that the Broadcasting Council shall make an annual report to both Houses of the Oireachtas including its recommendations for changes in broadcasting policy. In some ways at times far too many bodies make annual reports on this, that and the other. It states that their remit — should include consideration of all relevant questions affecting community, local, national and international broadcasting, including funding, competition, internal and external, balance standards, including standards relating to good taste, violence, sex and language, public order, copyright, performing rights, home production, including independent home production, Irish language, culture and news content — a broad remit indeed. It would also have to appoint a large executive body working with it to have any hope of covering all the various aspects, questions affecting community, local, national and international broadcasting, including funding, which is a huge subject.
It would be useful to have some form of body where complaints could be more easily considered, because one of the most important things a broadcasting council could deal with is the question of redress. If, for some reason or another, a comment is made, correctly or incorrectly, in a newspaper the person, or people concerned, have the opportunity at least to write a letter to the editor and immediately get a response which may get some sort of comparable publicity to the initial comment. Unfortunately, that cannot happen easily with radio. It is even more difficult by definition of the medium for it to happen with television but if there were to be a particular reason for a broadcasting council I suggest that would be the primary remit of any such body.