THE TAOISEACH HAS said it “isn’t fair” that the current TV licence fee revenue goes almost entirely to RTÉ and suggested that under a new model, more publishers will receive funding.
Speaking to reporters in Rosslare this morning Leo Varadkar hinted that a radical overhaul of the TV licence model is coming down the line.
“A fund that goes almost entirely to RTÉ isn’t fair, because there’s more to public service media than RTÉ,” Varadkar said.
“I believe this should be the government, this should be the Dáil, that deals with that issue once and for all.
“Reform was put off in the past for lots of different reasons, but it is now long overdue and I’m determined to see that through during this government’s time in office,” he added.
He said the current model was a “very old fashioned” way of collecting revenue and “linked to a device that many people just don’t own anymore”.
The crisis for RTÉ that began three weeks ago, when controversy emerged over payments made to Ryan Tubridy, has put the spotlight back on the sustainability of the current licence fee model.
Last year, the Future of Media Commission proposed replacing the current system with direct exchequer funding but this idea was rejected by the government at the time.
The government acknowledged that the TV licence system is “out of step with changing trends in media consumption” and that it “does not realise the full funding needs of the sector”.
However, it said that in order to maintain a direct link between media and the public and to minimise the risk of potential or perceive political interference in media independence, the TV licence would be maintained but overhauled.
Currently, the TV licence fee is collected by An Post and distributed by the Department of Media.
A small proportion of the fund is paid to An Post as commission for collecting the revenue while 7% is paid to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) to fund programmes on Irish culture, heritage and experience, and programmes to improve adult literacy.
The remaining revenue is paid to RTÉ.
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