Imelda Munster
Ceist:196. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the amount of Exchequer funding that was given to RTÉ in each of the years, 2020, 2021 and 2022. [26530/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 24 May 2022
Ceisteanna (196)
Freagraí scríofa
The principal mechanism through which my Department provides funding to RTÉ is from TV licence fee receipts. Total TV licence receipts include revenues both from direct sales collected by An Post and an Exchequer contribution from the Department of Social Protection in respect of free licences provided to those on Household Benefits packages.
For the period 2020 to April 2022, total TV licence fee revenue provided to RTÉ amounted to €456.8m, which included €156.8m from the Exchequer contribution. An annual breakdown of this funding is provided in the table below:
TV Licence Fee Payments to RTÉ 2020-April 2022
|
Period |
Total |
Of which Exchequer |
|
2020 |
€197.6m |
€64.9m |
|
2021 |
€196.1m |
€64.9m |
|
Jan –April 2022 |
€63.1m |
€27.0m |
|
Total |
€456.8m |
€156.8m |
As well as core funding to enable RTÉ meet its public service broadcasting obligations, my Department has also provided funding to RTÉ in respect of activities related to Arts and Culture initiatives, such as the Creative Ireland Programme and the Decade of Centenaries programme. Over the period from 2020 to date in 2022 this has amounted to €2.025m in funding to RTÉ. Additionally, the Government agreed, alongside the New Decade New Approach (NDNA) Agreement, to provide €100,000 per annum to RTÉ for the three years of the Agreement (2021-2023), as part of a broader initiative to promote Irish language broadcasting in Northern Ireland.
Finally, in 2020 a final capital payment of €527,379 was provided to RTÉ to complete the migration of terrestrial broadcasting services (i.e. the Saorview DTT service) from the 700 MHz spectrum band, to allow for that spectrum to be used by wireless broadband services. This project was overseen by ComReg and was carried out on a cost-neutral basis.
Details of Exchequer payments made to RTÉ, excluding receipts from the sales of Television Licences, are set out in the table below:
Other Exchequer Payments to RTÉ 2020-April 2022
|
Period |
Category |
Amount |
Funding Type |
|
2020 |
Arts and Culture |
€1.212m |
Current |
|
2021 |
Arts and Culture |
€0.703m |
Current |
|
2022 |
Arts and Culture |
€0.110m |
Current |
|
Total Arts and Culture Funding |
€2.025m |
||
|
2021 |
Irish Language Broadcasting Funding in Northern Ireland |
€0.100m |
Current |
|
Total Irish Language Broadcasting Funding in NI. |
€0.100m |
||
|
2020 |
700MHz Migration Project |
€0.527m |
Capital |
|
Total 700MHz Migration Project Funding |
€0.527m |