den Aire Poist agus Telegrafa cén comhfhreaghas bhí idir é agus RTE, ó tháinig sé in oifig mar gheall ar dhualgas reachtúil RTE i leith na Gaeilge.

Bhí comhrá ginearálta agam mar gheall ar pholasaí Radio Telefís Éireann faoin nGaeilge le linn cruinnaithe a bhí agam leis an Údarás cúpla mí ó shin. Os rud é go bhfuil RTE bunaithe ar an bprionsabal go bhfuil an tUdarás neamhspleách maidir le cúrsaí cláracha agus riaracháin laethiúil, ní bheadh sé cóir dom dul i gcomhfhreagras mion le RTE mar gheall ar na cláracha atá á gcraoladh acu.

Could the Minister let us know whether he is personally satisfied with the amount of time being given to Irish programmes on RTE?

I am satisfied that the RTE Authority are doing all they can to live up to their statutory obligations in relation to the language and to their own stated policy which was published some time during the year in the report from An Bord Gaeilge. Their obligations are that 20 per cent of programmes made in Ireland will be as Gaeilge, that they would have a television studio beside one of the Gaeltachtaí, that they would increase the broadcasting time of Radio na Gaeltachta as soon as the finances of RTE allow it, that they would increase the number of producers who had a good knowledge of and interest in Irish, that they would encourage the use of bilingualism, that they would have a substantial programme in Irish for adults each night and a substantial number of programmes in Irish for young people.

I should like to congratulate the Minister for doing the impossible. He answered a question I did not put to him. Can the Minister say if he is personally satisfied with the amount of programme time being given to Irish programmes?

I have already told the Deputy that I am satisfied with the position and I thought, for the elucidation of the House, I would state that not only are RTE trying to live up to their statutory obligations but that they have designed a policy for themselves and are making every effort to live up to that policy.

An nglacann an tAire leis go bhfuil dualgas reachtúil ar RTE i leith na Gaeilge agus, más dualgas reachtúil é, go gcaithfidh an tAire a bheith cinnte go bhfuil siad ag comhlíonadh an dualgais sin, agus an féidir leis a thaispeáint dúinn na figiúir de chláracha ata á gcur amach?

Glacaim. Níl aon mhaitheas bheith ag iarraidh ormsa a chur in iúl do RTE gur cheart dóibh cláracha Gaeilge a chraoladh. Ceapaim go bhfuil an tÚdarás ag déanamh a ndícheall a bpolasaí i dtaobh na Gaeilge a chur i gcrích.

Is the Minister satisfied with the decision of the RTE Authority to transfer the Nuacht from RTE 1 to RTE 2 and is it in accordance with his wishes?

Deputy Leyden, during the course of this year, has alleged several times that there has been political interference with RTE. I categorically deny this, and it would be inappropriate for me or any other Minister for Posts and Telegraphs to interfere in any way with programmes on RTE.

The Minister is responsible for policy and if the Minister lays down that his policy is——

A question, please.

——to have more programmes in Irish on RTE television, then the RTE Authority should comply with that policy.

That does not mean I should be involved in the timing of programmes or which station they should be on.