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Seanad
‹ Order of Business

Funding for local radio

Summary

Bradford supports reviewing the television licence and directing some broadcasting revenue to local and national radio stations instead of concentrating it in RTÉ.

I subscribe to and support Senator James Heffernan's comments on local radio stations. We must really examine the concept of the television licence, how the revenue is used and could best be distributed. The Minister for Communications, Eenrgy and Natural Resources, Deputy Alex White, has presumably kicked to touch the whole issue of a broadcasting fee, but the current pot of people's money is entirely consigned to one supposed national broadcaster, while local radio and other national radio stations go unfunded. Debate, consideration and a change of emphasis are needed.

I support the Senator also on the gaping hole in the new national development plan as far as people in the Cork-Limerick region are concerned. Certainly, the development of a Cork-Limerick motorway is essential from a regional and rural planning perspective. I heard the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, on radio this morning talking about the fact that the project would cost €800 million, which admittedly is a sizeable sum. However, it is a project we need. If alternative funding mechanisms must be found, we must investigate those possibilities. The rail link to the airport will not carry a passenger until 2027. Apart from these two particular projects, we should have a debate, if there is time in terms of the longevity of the House, to discuss how we actually spend these national moneys and why it takes so long to build these important national infrastructure projects. I heard the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, explain yesterday about the planning process, which takes so long.

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