Technical group will ‘optimise’ future structure of RTÉ licence fee, says Taoiseach

A technical group will “optimise” the future structure of the RTÉ licence fee, the Taoiseach has said.

He was speaking after it emerged RTÉ chair Moya Doherty accused him and the Government of “deliberately undermining” the broadcaster by not committing to reforming the TV licence system.

Speaking to reporters in Dublin on Tuesday, Micheál Martin said that the Government had agreed to implement 49 of the 50 recommendations of the Future of Media Commission – rejecting one that advised that the TV licence fee should be abolished and the national broadcaster be funded instead directly by the exchequer.

He said a technical group was put together to “overhaul” the licence fee, but that he would not support proposals for direct exchequer funding.

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“That’s something I would believe strongly in. I feel that one either has an independent mechanism of revenue generation which would avoid the pitfalls around too close a relationship between Government and media,” he said, adding that there was a need for an “arm’s length” relationship between media and Government.

[ RTÉ chairwoman accused Taoiseach of ‘deliberately undermining’ broadcaster over licence fee ]

“It was just exchequer funded, any government into the future could decide to cut it, or use it as leverage with public service broadcasting, which I, as a person who believes in democracy, would be concerned about,” he said.

“So any revenue-generating mechanism in my view has to be independent.”

He acknowledged that RTÉ feels the licence-fee-based approach is not “as secure” or optimal in terms of revenue generation. “What this group is doing within Government is seeking to create a structure that would optimise that.”

A spokesman for the Department of Media said the Government had proposed an approach that will “build on” the existing revenue stream from the direct sale of TV licences, “and maintain an important direct link between broadcasters and the Irish public, and one which has has underpinned the independence of the broadcasting sector”.

The group “is examining the legislative and administrative changes required to ensure the TV licence system is more equitable, relevant and sustainable. The reform of the TV licence will aim to align with changing viewing habits, tackle evasion, and streamline the collection and payment regime”, the spokesman said.

Work by the technical group, which was set up by the department, is ongoing, the spokesman said, adding that “a report on progress will be presented to Minister [Catherin] Martin in the coming weeks”.

Labour Party Senator Marie Sherlock said: “RTÉ are right to be frustrated – Government have failed to grasp the nettle of how to properly fund broadcasting services in this country.

[ What exactly does the Future of Media Commission report say? ]

“We have yet to hear from Government their alternative to the commission’s proposal, and to be honest it’s not good enough that they reject outright one of the recommendations of the expert commission at the time of publication and have no alternative to offer.”

Fianna Fáil Senator Malcolm Byrne, who is a member of the Oireachtas media committee, said RTÉ should explore if it can provide programming “more efficiently”.

“It should consider the publisher broadcaster model, where it commissions a lot of its shows from the independent production sector. This is what TG4 and Channel 4 do, as well as many broadcasters internationally.”

“It is important that we have top-class public sector broadcasting and that does require resourcing.”