Iarraim ar an gCeannaire an tAire a iarraidh isteach anseo le labhairt linn mar gheall ar straitéis RTÉ. Is craoltóir poiblí é RTÉ agus ceapaim gur mhaith an rud é don Seanad dá bhféadfaimis a fháil amach an straitéis agus an fhís do RTÉ agus céard atá ar siúl ag an stáisiún.

I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Denis Naughten, to give us an outline of the strategy for RTÉ, the national public service broadcaster. I know that RTÉ is faced with many challenges and it would be very good for this House to have a debate on the public service broadcaster and where it is at, the direction it is taking and its strategy to reach that point. Some 4.2 million streamers stream into RTÉ on a monthly basis. The online feed is very important. RTÉ is key as a public broadcaster to the future of democracy in Ireland for example. RTÉ has 1 million listeners to its radio programmes on a weekly basis. Having said that, RTÉ faces significant competition in the market. The landscape is changing. RTÉ has roughly 30% to 33% of the overall marketplace, which has diminished significantly in the past number of years. The cost of operating RTÉ is roughly €350 million a year, an increase of 7% on the 2015 figure. The main reasons for that were the European football championship, UEFA EURO 2016, the Olympics in Rio in 2016 and the celebrations and special programmes for the centenary commemorative events. RTÉ is funded as follows - €160 million comes from commercial revenue and approximately €180 million comes from the licence fees. The problem with the licence fees is that it is not all collected. RTÉ does not get all of the revenue from the licence fee. There is a significant gap of an estimated €15 million plus a year in the licence fees that remain unpaid. RTÉ is key to small firms that are involved in television and radio productions and the allocation for expenditure to buy in home produced programmes has dropped by 40% since the year 2008. I am keen to hear the Minister's view on the Irish language broadcasting on TG4 and Raidió na Gaeltachta.

Céard é an plean atá ag RTÉ ó thaobh TG4 agus Raidió na Gaeltachta? Tá sé sin fíorthábhachtach ach ní dhéantar aon phlé air, beag ná mór. Dar liomsa agus go leor daoine eile, tá TG4 agus Raidió na Gaeltachta fíorthábhachtach agus fíorlárnach ó thaobh chraolachán na tíre seo. Ba bhreá liom tuairimí an Aire agus tuairmí RTÉ a fháil mar gheall air sin agus ba bhreá liom dá bhféadfaimis ceisteanna a chur le soiléireacht a fháil ar an straitéis agus an fhís do TG4 agus Raidió na Gaeltachta.

RTÉ is deeply involved in discussions on the sale of some of the property in Donnybrook for approximately €100 million. It will be good to find out their strategy for spending and investing that money.

Other colleagues, I am sure, have questions to be clarified by RTÉ, and I believe it would be appropriate to talk to the Minister about the strategy for our national broadcaster.

Tacaím leis an méid atá ráite ag an Seanadóir Ó Céidigh. Sílim go mbeadh sé an-mhaith dá mbeadh díospóireacht againn maidir leis an gcóras craoltóireachta poiblí anseo in Éirinn. Aontaím leis an méid atá ráite ansin. Aontáim cuid mhaith leis an méid atá ráite ag an Seanadóir Ardagh ar maidin maidir leis an Aire, Teachta Frances Fitzgerald. Sílim gur fágadh níos mó ceisteanna ná freagraí tar éis an seisiún a bhí againn aréir. We unfortunately have to return to the issue of the Tánaiste and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Fitzgerald. It is quite clear that there are a number of issues that still have to be addressed concerning the debacle that has emerged.

I spoke to somebody with a legal background this morning who raised a couple of interesting points with me which I would like to put on the record here in the hope of getting answers to them. Has the confidentiality of the tribunal itself been breached? Our understanding is that on the second day of oral hearings there was a meeting at Garda HQ regarding its strategy. We understand that there was an email that afternoon to the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald. Section 11 of the Commission of Investigation Act makes it an offence to disclose evidence given at a commission of investigation. All proceedings in a commission of investigation are private except in exceptional circumstances. Therefore, as it is an offence under section 11 to disclose evidence, has an offence been committed? Surely the Garda, a Minister for Justice and Equality and officials from Department of Justice and Equality should be aware that is an offence.

A number of parties were connected to the emails that have gone over and back. It is very important to know who those officials were. Who was party to the emails, and why? If an offence was committed, was it reported? Did the Minister, officials or any member of the Garda report it? That leads to the question of where the information came from. Was there a leak in the commission itself? Was the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, herself not shocked by all of this? If somebody divulged information to any of us from a family court hearing, we would be concerned. Why would an in camera meeting of the commission not cause the same concern in a Minister for Justice and Equality, particularly when it was such a high profile issue at the time? So far the story just does not stack up. From speaking to political colleagues across the Houses, I do not think that many people in these Houses believe the story we are being given.

The potential offence gives rise to questions about the judgment of the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, at the time. Does the Leader have confidence that we are getting the full story? From our perspective on this side of the House, we are not sure, and we are certainly not confident that we are getting the full story.