An Bord Snip Nua: How they want to change broadcasting

Elmo

The Department of Communications, Energy & Natural Resources (D/CE&NR) has responsibility for the telecommunications, broadcasting and energy sectors and to regulate, protect and develop the natural resources of Ireland.

The Special Group has identified savings of up to €66m each year and associated staffing reductions of 106 posts. These recommendations would reduce total expenditure by 12.6% and staff numbers by 8.1%. The full set of recommendations are set out in Detailed Paper No. 3 and listed in table 3.3.2 below.

The key recommendations are set out below.

Structural reforms

These include:

• The merger of ComReg with the new Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (the result of merging the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland and the Broadcasting Complaints Commission and the regulatory functions of the RTÉ Authority) because of the growing convergence between the communications and broadcasting industries.
• Reform the funding of TG4 by partially funding it directly from the TV Licence with reciprocal savings in the Exchequer subvention to TG4. The Group does not recommend an increase in the TV Licence.

Merge ComReg and the new Broadcasting Authority of Ireland.

Transfer the Irish Film Classification Office into the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland

Partially Fund TG4 directly from TV Licence and reduce the direct Exchequer
subvention by 10million

They also point out that Inland fisheries should be moved to the Dept of Environment. Surely if they had done a good job they would have noticed that Marine is now part of the Dept of Transport. Of course they make no mention of Marine in that departments section.

On a wider note and I am trying to avoid going of topic but IMO
More like Bord Dúnadh Aris tra eis an Tra (The Closure Board back after the rescession) than bord snip nua.

Elmo

This Programme has a total Exchequer allocation in 2009 of €270.5m. Only €0.9m is capital with the bulk of the current expenditure being funded from TV Licence receipts. This accounts for €230m of the €269.6m current expenditure on broadcasting. The Programme has 134 staff. Annual Savings

A.1 Merge the Digital Hub Development Agency with EI/IDA €1.8m
A.2 Merge ComReg and the new Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. €1.4ma
Total Current Savings €3.2m Associated staffing reductions 16

D/CE&NR note that the new Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) will be funded by an industry levy and this will save the Exchequer over €6m each year compared to the existing arrangement.

As this is a pre-existing government decision, it is not included in the table. Furthermore, the Group is recommending the merger of ComReg and the new BAI (see Communications Programme above). D/CE&NR puts forward two other options for consideration. The first is the amalgamation of the new Broadcasting Authority of Ireland and the Irish Film Classification Office (IFCO). The Group agrees with this proposal and has included it in the table below, with provision for a more rational treatment of surplus revenues arising i.e. preservation of the existing revenue stream to the Exchequer from IFCO fees. The second option calls for a study of the interrelationship of the RTÉ Group, TG4 and other broadcasters to see what efficiencies and strategic benefits could arise from greater cooperation between broadcasters. While the Group has no objection to such a study, it does not see a connection to savings in Exchequer allocations. The Group’s recommendation is set out below.

Table 3.5 D/CE&NR - Measures identified for Programme B Annual Savings

B.1 Transfer the Irish Film Classification Office into the Broadcasting Authority of
Ireland*
-
B.2 Partially Fund TG4 directly from TV Licence and reduce the direct Exchequer
subvention
€10.0m
Total Current Savings €10.0m
Associated staffing reductions 10

*The Group has already recommended that BAI should merge with ComReg in the Communications Programme above.

B.1 Transfer the Irish Film Classification Office into the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland The Group sees clear merit in centralising media content classification in a single operation. The Department of Justice, Equality & Law Reform has already transferred the work of the Censorship of Publications Board to the Irish Film Classification Office. As the merged ComReg/BAI will be
funded from industry levies, D/CE&NR must ensure that the excess income accruing to IFCO and currently taken in as an Appropriation-in-Aid to the Justice Vote is returned to the Exchequer.

B.2 Partially Fund TG4 directly from TV Licence and reduce the direct Exchequer subvention. On a phased basis, over a period of 2 to 3 years, TG4 should move towards receiving a significant contribution to funding its public service remit from the TV Licence. There should be no consequential increase in the TV Licence fee. Instead, both RTÉ and TG4 should, in the first instance, identify and implement cost savings, including potential for sharing facilities. The Exchequer subvention to TG4 should be reduced from €36m in 2009 to achieve savings to the Exchequer of €10m, at a minimum, when fully implemented.

Don't mention DTT sHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Elmo

D.4 Transfer of the Irish Film Board’s functions to Enterprise Ireland and discontinuation of the investment fund The Group considers that continued funding of the Irish Film Board is not affordable at this time in the context of other more pressing spending priorities. Given the scale of tax expenditure (€418m since 1993 and €33m in 2008) via the tax incentive scheme for this sector, and given the level of international competition in this market space, there is no objective economic case for subventing the Irish Film Industry. The Group considers that film development is similar to enterprise development activities in other sectors (e.g. manufacturing, services, tourism etc). It concludes that the enterprise promotion and development activities of the Irish Film Board should be transferred to the new enterprise agency (see Detailed Paper No. 5) which incorporates a restructured Enterprise

Ireland and the enterprise development functions of a range of other existing agencies. The Group also recommends discontinuation of the dedicated investment fund. Overall, these proposals should lead to a staff reduction of about 17 positions.

The IFB is very important to the broadcasting sector, espically when they are planning a new DTT service


Oh **** I mentioned DTT

watty

Oh noes... No staff saving. ComReg will want to double their staff. Besides ComReg make 70M approx for the Government, they are not funded.

They'll want to stick all kinds of things into ComWrek

icdg

They are not the first people to suggest this. This was also mentioned in the Oireachtas debates on the Broadcasting Bill 2008, sorry, I mean the Broadcasting Act 2009 (recieved assent on Sunday, so we can now refer to it as that!). The government has however been resistant to any merger so far, not sure if it will change its mind just because Bord Snip has told it to...

I can see the merits - not just in terms of efficencies but also in terms of convergence between broadcasting and communications. Having broadcasting regulation divided between ComReg (the technical side) and BCI/BAI (the content side) in many ways does not make sense. However I'm also mindful that Ofcom in the UK has in proved itself perhaps far too big to watch all of the activities it regulates properly. Also, I'm not sure if the "light touch" regulation of ComReg would marry successfully with the "heavy touch" regulation the BCI is (or is supposed to) employ, what the culture clash would result in...

Elmo

Yeah FG wanted to merge ComReg and the BAI. I don't see why and have to agree with the Minister, RTÉ, TV3 and TG4 etc would be smoothered in ComReg perhaps even forgotten about.

Also, I'm not sure if the "light touch" regulation of ComReg would marry successfully with the "heavy touch" regulation the BCI is (or is supposed to) employ, what the culture clash would result in...

Yeah, now that I think about it further perhaps all regulators should be merged into one ultimate regulator, call it the Mega-deregulator, I would certainly be happy to head up an Irish Regulatory body, all the perks and none of the worries.