Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)

I thank the witnesses. RTÉ and the development of ads was touched on, with the relationship between it as the broadcaster and the advertiser. It was about the developing the ad, the pitch and the particular focus. Is there a role for RTÉ in that, or is it entirely led by the advertiser? When the advert is prepared, is there a role for RTÉ in assessing the content of it? I am thinking particularly of charges of greenwashing. We are obviously talking here about fossil fuel advertising. Is there an assessment of the content, and if so, what does that process look like, or is that entirely a role for the ASAI?

I have a separate but related question for both sets of witnesses. We are having this discussion today. There is legislation published and this is not the first time we have had this discussion at this committee. It is a discussion happening within a wider international context. There are variations on it. In the past, we have obviously had bans on tobacco advertising for example. We are soon to have more restrictions on gambling advertising. There is a prospect in the first instance of this Government or a future one moving in the direction of outright bans or restrictions. There may also be a demand on advertisers to look at the climate impact of their product for example, in terms of health warnings.

We gave the example of EVs. How would the witnesses envisage such a transition? The representatives from RTÉ mentioned that it may impact up to 10% of its current advertising revenue. Regarding the transition, therefore, I presume there would be a desire to see engagement across the sector. I would like both sets of witnesses to set out their initial thoughts in this regard.