Latest news with #Broadcasting(Amendment)Bill
Irish Examiner
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Families of children medically evacuated from Gaza can also travel to Ireland
The families of children being medevaced from Gaza to Ireland will be able to travel with them, the Government has agreed. Last week it was reported that the transport of at least 18 children previously authorised to come to Ireland had been delayed by reported visa issues, though the Government insisted there is no delay. There was, however, a question around who could travel with the children. The State has agreed to help up to 30 children to leave Gaza. So far, 12 children have been brought to the Republic, in two separate missions. At Cabinet on Tuesday, Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill brought a memo which agreed that the remaining paediatric patients to be identified for medical evacuation under the initiative can be accompanied by one or both of the patient's parents (or the patient's carer), and the patient's parents' minor or adult children dependents. The memo also notes that adult family members accompanying paediatric patients evacuated to Ireland under the initiative will be granted Irish residence permission following requests by the health minister to the Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan. The Government also agreed that "alternative, approved evacuation options" through third states be explored and agreed. Last week in the Dáil, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the "indiscriminate killing of children" in Gaza was one of the "appalling aspects of Israel's war on Gaza". He said two of the four planned flights have taken place, with 45 people, including children and their families, having come to Ireland thus far. There "is no delay" and no "bureaucratic wrangling" preventing the transfer of the children. He said the Cabinet memo was "not material" to the next flight and was not needed and there had been no applications for visas under the scheme. Meanwhile, arts minister Patrick O'Donovan also updated Cabinet on RTÉ's progress in implementing the recommendations of two committees established following revelations about presenter payments at the broadcaster. Of 90 recommendations in the governance and culture report, 78 are for RTÉ, 15 for the department, with three for both. By the end of the first quarter of this year, 40 of RTÉ's 78 recommendations are achieved, two were on track, and 36 delayed. All 26 of the recommendations in the HR and fees report are aimed at RTÉ and initial progress reports were limited, prompting a meeting with RTÉ to discuss more detailed reporting. The minister's update said that two recommendations are achieved, 12 are on track, and 12 are delayed. Of the 15 department recommendations from the governance and culture review, seven are addressed through the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill, and one on funding was dealt with last July. Read More Israeli strikes kill 30 in Gaza, health officials say
RTÉ News
08-07-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
Committee hears concerns over outsourcing content at RTÉ
Offering existing RTÉ programmes "out to tender" to outside production companies "does not enhance the cultural life of this nation", a Dáil committee has heard. Co-chair of the RTÉ Trade Union Group Trevor Keegan was among representatives from trade unions at the broadcaster, including the National Union of Journalists, SIPTU, Connect and Unite, who appeared before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Arts, Communication and Media. The committee is scrutinising the Revised General Scheme of the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill. The potential impact on RTÉ staff from a provision in the bill, which would require the broadcaster to spend a quarter of its annual public funding on programming commissioned from the independent sector, was a central theme in the discussions. Mr Keegan said that while many independent production companies make "great television and radio", apart from a small number of larger firms, the content is generally provided by workers on "short-term contracts with fragile protections". He added that "this is not conducive to long-term careers in TV and radio production". Mr Keegan described moving programmes such as 'The Late Late Show' and 'Fair City' to the independent sector as RTÉ "exploiting" the requirement of the act for increased production spend to "pursue its goal to dismantle and privatise" whole sections of RTÉ. He said that while there are "many laudable elements" of proposed amendments to the bill, they should not "come at the cost of breaking up the national broadcaster". Adrian Kane from SIPTU said that increased funding should support new content and employment and "not a reallocation of work already being undertaken by RTÉ workers". Mr Kane and President of Equity, the live performance and theatre trade union, Gerry O'Brien raised concerns over "buy-out contracts " by RTÉ and TG4. Secretary of the RTÉ TUG Sorcha Vaughan said that the 25% requirement is already "being quoted as a reason that things are being moved out of RTÉ". Ms Vaughan added that staff were "blue in the face" asking for consultation with management. She said that "we had this issue with religious programming" in relation to the recent announcement by RTÉ that it was sending elements of religious programming outside to a commissioning process within the independent sector. Ms Vaughan also said that her members had "had it again" with the current affairs programme Upfront with Katie Hannon when it was recently confirmed that the show was not returning in the autumn schedule. Mr Keegan told the committee that programme teams were told "late in the day" about the situation. He described as "horrific" the morale in RTÉ and Ms Vaughan said it was "awful". The Unite union also raised concerns about the provision and said that it is "often the case" that smaller independent companies will offer "short-term contracts, precarious employment arrangements, lower pay and often misclassify workers as self-employed". Seamus Dooley from the NUJ asked the committee to consider "what happens" when a public service programme which is outsourced "ceases to make enough money with the shareholder?". Fianna Fáil TD Malcolm Byrne said that concerning issues of workers being "misclassified" as self-employed that it was RTÉ rather than independent producers who were "guilty of that". He stated that public service broadcasting is not "just" going to be provided by RTÉ, and that it can be provided by TG4, and Virgin Media and "an increasingly diverse media landscape". He added it is critical to ensure that "Irish stories get told". Mr Byrne said that that can be done "very professionally by RTÉ" but not "exclusively" by RTÉ and he stated his view that he was a "little concerned" about "dismissing and challenging" what goes on in the independent sector.
Irish Examiner
18-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Sustainable funding essential to ensure future of public service media, say broadcasters
Multiannual, sustainable funding is essential to ensure the future of public service media, according to broadcasters. Ireland is currently among the bottom 10 of 46 countries included in the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) with just 0.08% of GDP going towards public service media funding. The is below the EBU average of 0.14%. Director general of TG4, Deirdre Ní Choistín, will tell the Oireachtas media committee that any multiannual funding arrangement must be adequate, predictable and sustainable. Also appearing before the committee are representatives from Virgin Media Television, Screen Producers Ireland and the Community Television Association. The representatives have been invited to give their insights and input as part of pre-legislative scrutiny of the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill. Managing director of Virgin Media Television, Áine Ní Chaoindealbháin, will note that Virgin Media Television is entirely funded through advertising and commercial revenues and is the only Irish broadcaster with a public service content remit that is not in receipt of public funding. In her opening statement, Ms Ní Chaoindealbháin will tell the committee that delivering its public service remit on a purely commercial basis is not viable under current funding arrangements. While the proposed media fund is welcomed, Ms Ní Chaoindealbháin highlights that the funding allocation is based on additionality only and so the challenge to maintain its existing remit and output remains. Both TG4 and Virgin Media Television emphasise the importance of media plurality and diversity are crucial for a democratic society. The new platform-neutral media fund will see 25% of any new fund allocated to Irish language, something Ms Ní Choistín believes will strengthen TG4's work with the independent production sector and support Gaeltacht and regional employment. Proposals around funding are largely welcomed, however, Screen Producers Ireland (SPI) will raise concerns around new frameworks set out in the bill and whether it complies with the European Media Freedom Act. CEO of SPI Susan Kirby will also tell the committee that commissioning independently produced content on a year-round basis is essential for the successful development of the independent production sector.
