Léim ar aghaidh chuig an bpríomhábhar
Gnáthamharc

Departmental Funding

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 May 2022

Tuesday, 24 May 2022

Ceisteanna (207)

Imelda Munster

Ceist:

207. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she will provide details of the funding that was provided by the Exchequer to community radio in each of the years 2020, 2021 and 2022. [26541/22]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Community Radio funding is administered by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) through the Sound and Vision Scheme. Part 10 of the Broadcasting Act 2009 makes provision for the disbursement of 7% of the net TV licence fee receipts to the Broadcasting Fund which supports both the Sound and Vision and Archiving Schemes.

In December 2020, 22 community radio projects were awarded €0.67m under Round 36 of the Sound and Vision Scheme. This was a closed round which was accessible only to Community Radio projects to help address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on this part of the broadcasting sector. Round 41 of the Sound and Vision Scheme, which also focused on Social Benefit and Community Radio, provided an additional €0.5m. In this Round, awards of between €5k and €40K were made to 19 community radio stations. Details of the awards made are available on the BAI’s website.

In addition to the provision of specific allocations to Community Radio outlined above, stations are also encouraged to apply for regular open rounds of Sound and Vision funding. The total funding provided to the sector, through both open and closed rounds of Sound and Vision, amounted to €0.85m in 2020 and €0.62m in 2021, both of which were significantly greater than in 2019, when support amounted to €0.35m.

While Community Radio figures for 2022 are not yet available, the BAI intends to launch a focused funding round for community radio later this year, which will be similar to previous such rounds. As I have stated above, general audio-visual rounds are open to Community Radio applications.

I would also like to highlight the flexibility which the BAI has adopted regarding payment and administrative processes during the COVID-19 crisis, such as the reduction in the number of payment tranches and payment frontloading, in order to facilitate Community Radio stations during that period. The BAI also held workshops to assist applicants from the Community Radio sector with the applications process.

Finally, I can assure the Deputy that both the Authority and I are fully committed to enhancing the sustainability of the Community Radio sector. The BAI’s Sustainability Working Group has promoted sustainability in the Community Radio sector through the publication of its Social Benefit Framework and the BAI’s Community Media Policy, alongside the BAI’s Sectoral Development Team’s Community Broadcasting Support Scheme and the Network Funding scheme.

Barr
Roinn