Catherine Martin, the Media Minister, has revealed a funding package of €725 million for RTÉ for the upcoming three years this week. This funding is to be split between licence fee revenue and contributions from the exchequer. The decision came after numerous discussions and debates over several years about the best way to finance the national broadcasting corporation.
Many had the opinion that the current license fee model was antiquated, especially since it relied on people owning a television. In addition, the evasion of the license fee in Ireland far exceeded European averages, and the collection system for these fees relied on questionable data and antiquated technology. This issue was further compounded by the controversy surrounding Ryan Tubridy last year, which led to a significant reduction in license fee revenue.
Moreover, there were risks associated with the direct funding from the government, such as potential political bias and the possibility of a new administration cutting off funding. Regardless, McEntee has made a promise to reform the taxi licensing system following Shorten’s rape sentencing.
The American who escaped to Ireland to evade incarceration for the crimes committed during the Capitol riots of January 6th was charged. Further, Aer Lingus reduced the salaries of its pilots due to industrial actions. These were presented by Bernice Harrison and produced by Aideen Finnegan and Declan Conlon.