Tá dhá rud gur mhaith liom a chur i láthair maidin inniu. First, I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Naughten, into the House to discuss RTÉ and its strategy plan in the short, medium and long term. RTÉ, as the public broadcaster, is a key communicator in Ireland communicating news, information and so on. I happened to be on the board of RTÉ two years ago and it does fantastic work. It would be worthwhile and important for all of us to see what the Minister has to say regarding the strategy for RTÉ. It is becoming far more competitive. There are many more television channels available and other options available to consumers. There are a couple of key areas I will share with the House this morning. First, RTÉ operating costs are €355 million a year. That has gone up from €320 million the previous year, in 2015. Operating costs are increasing by approximately 7%, and this is purely financial. Some €16 million of that was one-off items - the general election, the 2016 centenary, the UEFA cup, the Olympic Games, etc.

There is a significant challenge to its revenue, particularly in respect of the licence fee. There has been some media information on this in the past two months, particularly last November. I would like to ask the Minister to clarify the sources of funds and resources for RTÉ in order that it remains viable and a key integral part of public broadcasting in the country in the future. Advertising and commercial revenue is more or less static, at €155 million. The other main income is the licence fee, which is approximately €180 million.

Recently, a significant event happened in RTÉ with regard to selling some of its assets, namely, selling of a vast amount of property. The Minister should also address the House on how that income will be spent. I hope it will be ring-fenced for RTÉ but I would like to learn whether that will be going into capital expenditure or whether the revenue will be used to try to cover ongoing day-to-day expenses. Is é sin an chéad cheann.

I very much welcome the Taoiseach's announcement go mbeidh 2018 mar Bhliain na Gaeilge. Ba bhreá liom dá mbeadh straitéis ag an Teach seo ó thaobh Bliain na Gaeilge de. Dá bhrí sin, iarraim ar an gCathaoirleach agus ar an gCeannaire a gcuid tacaíochta a thabhairt don mholadh go gcuirfí iarratas chuig an gCoiste um Nós Imeachta agus Pribhléidí go mbeadh lá nó dhá lá iomlán againn anseo sa Seanad, ina shuí mar choiste, agus go dtabharfadh muid cuireadh do na dreamanna éagsúla atá ag plé le forbairt na Gaeilge, forbairt na teanga agus forbairt an chultúir teacht isteach anseo mar fhinnéithe ionas go mbeimid in ann labhairt leo agus tuiscint a fháil ar an straitéis atá acu ó thaobh na Gaeilge de. I believe that would be a significant message to convey regarding the total support of Senators and the Seanad for the Irish language and culture.

I wish to raise the long delays in the Government revising the 2005 rural housing guidelines as they apply to the local needs criteria. In 2007 the European Commission issued an infringement notice against Ireland in which a view was expressed that Ireland's local needs criteria for one-off rural houses are excessively restrictive and may be in breach of the treaties. The Flemish decree handed down by the European Court of Justice in 2013 appears to clarify that to be the case. It appears from parliamentary questions and a circular in May 2017 from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government that to avoid the escalation of the 2007 infringement case from the Commission the Department established a working group to examine those guidelines. The replies to the parliamentary question indicate that the group is engaging with the Commission to identify a way forward. The Department said in the circular last May that the guidance would be updated in the second half of 2017 but, unfortunately, we are still waiting for that guidance. It is another missed target for the Government, along with the missed target for the publication of the national planning framework. Both the new rural housing guidelines and the national planning framework must be viewed in the same context. Both documents were due last year and both are essential for good planning and giving important advice to people who are hoping to invest in their own homes in rural communities.

I have always been a strong supporter of robust frameworks for the operation of our rural housing policy. They must be environmentally sound and operate on the grounds of sustainability, efficient use of services, good use of land, good design quality and so forth. The delays in publishing the new revised guidelines are causing problems for families throughout the country and in the middle of an unprecedented housing crisis. I know people who have deposits on sites in County Louth who are wondering if they can stop renting and if they will be allowed to build in the villages in which they have made their homes. In many cases the villages are where they run their businesses and they are actively engaged in the communities they now call home. There is a huge degree of uncertainty because of the delays in addressing this problem and in bringing forward the revised guidelines, as the Government is required to do. It is causing problems for people and must be addressed. Will the Leader clarify when the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government will bring these guidelines forward and when they will become policy for each local authority?