Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

There is a big picture here on protected disclosures so we will have a chat on that in a few minutes. We will write to Dr. Love on that. We will also write to the Department regarding where we are on the Kildare and Wicklow ETB.

Next is No. 1385B which is held over from the previous meeting, is dated 15 June, and is from the director general of RTÉ in response to an email received from an individual querying information provided to the committee regarding the possibility of an RTÉ 2+1 channel. Ms Forbes clarifies that RTÉ 2+1 as a channel does not exist. We have a separate item of correspondence from Mark Griffin which I will put on the screen. It is No. 1421B. He is the Secretary General of the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment. His correspondence on the exact same issue is dated 22 June as departmental officials were here that day. He states:

I refer to the letter from the committee dated 18 June in relation to a letter from Ms Patricia Cronin, Assistant Secretary of the Department, which was discussed at the committee's meeting on 14 June. At the committee's meeting on 3 May, Ms Cronin stated that RTÉ had made an application to initiate an RTÉ 2+1 service which is with the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland for consideration. This was not correct. The factual position is that RTÉ had forwarded a draft proposal for discussion with the Department but has not submitted a formal proposal to date. Therefore, the BAI has not yet been requested by the Minister to conduct a sectoral impact of any such proposal as provided for in the Broadcasting Act 2009. I apologise to the committee for the fact that Ms Cronin's evidence to the committee was not accurate and appreciate the opportunity to correct the record.

We will happily do that. I give that as an example in the context of the next item on the same topic. The evidence presented was not accurate. People should just come in, tell us that and let us correct the record. People should not dance around or try to justify it. This is a straight correction of the record and that is the way we want to proceed.