Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 January 2026
368. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport further to the recommendation included in the European Commission's 2025 Rule of law report for Ireland (details supplied), the steps he has taken to address this recommendation; the expected timeline for the completion of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3052/26]
View answerThe 2025 Rule of Law Report recognised the progress made towards reforming the framework in place to provide funding for public service media that is appropriate for the realisation of its public service remit while guaranteeing its independence and it recommended that these reforms are completed.
The primary instrument for reform is the revised General Scheme of the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill, approved by Government and subsequently published in April 2025. The General Scheme gives effect to recommendations of the Future of Media Commission, the Expert Advisory Committee on Governance and Culture in RTÉ and Article 5 of the EU European Media Freedom Act. The General Scheme will:
• improve the legislative underpinning for the corporate governance of RTÉ and TG4, including by assigning the Comptroller and Auditor General as auditor of RTE;
• reform the system of assessing the performance of, and recommending funding for, RTÉ and TG4 by giving Coimisiún na Meán the authority to assess and identify performance commitments and make multi-annual funding recommendations to Government every 3 years and strengthening its role in assessing, on an annual basis, the degree to which public funding enabled the providers to fulfil their public service remit and safeguarded their editorial independence; and
• provide for the conversion of the existing Broadcasting Fund to a platform-neutral statutory Media Fund to be overseen by Coimisiún na Meán to provide funding for the production, archiving and distribution of public service content by the wider sector.
The 2025 Rule of Law Report noted that most stakeholders considered the General Scheme a positive development.
The revised General Scheme was submitted to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport for pre-legislative scrutiny and the Committee published their report with 85 recommendations on 17 September 2025. The recommendations are currently being considered and the next step will be to finalise the drafting of legislation and bring the Bill to Government for approval and subsequent publication. The Bill is on the list for priority publication in the current Oireachtas session. Following publication, it will be brought through the Houses of the Oireachtas to enactment.
