The Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht hinted at his support for an increase in the television licence fee.

Mr Higgins said that having a good RTE required addressing the issue of its income and the level of the licence fee. "RTE seems to me to have made a good and sustainable case on its own grounds."

He added that it was a matter of long standing practice that an increase in the fee was a Government decision, and he would be consulting his Cabinet colleagues. "The level of the licence fee has not been changed since 1986, and I feel that it is not inappropriate to review it after 50 many years.

The Fianna Fail spokeswoman on arts and culture, Ms Sile de Valera, asked if he intended proposing to the Government that the licence fee be indexed, as suggested in the Green Paper on broadcasting. Mr Higgins replied: "It will be part of my reflective process.