It is great to see Senator Buttimer back in the Leader's chair. It suits him. He looks great. There has been huge reaction in the Chamber today and throughout the sporting pages in respect of the fact that 17-year-old Jake Daniels has come out as the first professional gay football player since Justin Fashanu and only the second in the world. As a 17-year-old he is to be commended. He signed professional papers and made his debut in the past month. It is a very brave thing to do. Where are we in our country in this…

I am back in the saddle.

Senator Higgins's points are well made and go to a wider point of debate in terms of the value of news, from where we ascertain it and the value put on it by the owners of the broadcasting stations. I refer to the points made by Senator Higgins regarding putting a time limit on the derogation to ensure that, as she stated, the business models are not on the basis of a continuing derogation in order to seek to fulfil what market research has indicated the station audience is. Unfortunately, many of these commercial …

I accept what the Minister said on the independence of the BAI and the new commission but it is right that we express our opinions as politicians. Sometimes we say that those in politics cannot express their opinions and it should be independent. These Houses are where we formulate the framework by which people operate. I know the Minister recognises that this is all the more important because the media world is changing and there will be casualties. In the UK over the past ten or 20 years, particularly regarding l…

I do not have as much money as Senator Byrne, therefore the need for me to look at speculative financial products is probably nullified.

His suits are fancier than mine. In respect of the amendment, Senator Higgins knows my passion for this subject. I will never forget last summer. One of my favourite things when I am not attending a match on a Sunday is listening to "Sunday Sport" on RTÉ Radio One. In between matches there are some very good documentaries and other programmes. There was an absolutely fantastic piece with Oisín McConville, one of the greatest GAA stars ever, whose life was, unfortunately, blighted by gambling. He spoke extensively o…

I join my colleague, Senator Malcolm Byrne, in calling for a debate on higher education funding, including the announcement today by the Government. In welcoming that funding, I want to pay tribute to my uncle, Mr. Peter Cassells, who produced a report six years ago on the under-funding of third level in this country, which had left it in a perilous state. Since Mr. Cassells produced that report, we have seen an additional €1 billion provided for college education. The Taoiseach has been extremely strong on the nee…

I echo what has been said. The significance of this amendment goes back to engagement we had at the Joint Committee on Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht during pre-legislative scrutiny. One of the most impressive engagements we had was when representatives from schools in Dublin and Cork came before the joint committee to address their concerns to us. Their biggest concern was that we, as legislators, did not get what was required in a sphere that was predominantly dominated by their age groups…

I will not go to war today with the Government Chief Whip. However, the response that the impact of our amendments would be to mandate the commission is 100% right. That is exactly what we are trying to do.

That is exactly what we are trying to do because that is exactly what is happening elsewhere in the Bill. The Minister is herself cherry-picking. She is picking oranges over there, and just because Senator Malcolm Byrne and I are in here picking apples, it does not seem to suit her. We had a discussion here last week in which we pointed out that reference was made in the Bill that it should have regard to Government policy on environmental issues, and rightly so. Yet, we tabled an amendment to the Bill to have rega…

On a point of clarification, a Leas-Chathaoirligh.

On a point of information and for clarification, a Leas-Chathaoirligh, in terms of consistency, you read that out in respect of amendment No. 55, yet in respect of amendment No. 54, I am sure the young people would have been provided with tea and sandwiches or a Coca-Cola and that would have been a charge on the State as well.

It is ludicrous.

It is ludicrous. Last week, Senator Higgins called for a review on the determination, and I totally support her on this because there is no consistency whatsoever on the ruling on the last two amendments we have discussed.

We are only half an hour into the debate-----

Absolutely.

Tomorrow at 10.30 a.m.

I will join colleagues in speaking to amendment No. 100, in which we are calling for the deletion of that section on the prohibition of political advertisement. I thank the Minister and all her officials for their engagements on the Bill up to today because it is one of the most important pieces of legislation. That should be said at the outset in terms of the Minister bringing forward this legislation in the first place. Senator Malcolm Byrne is right; during the course of the committee hearings we have held over …

I would not accept the Minister’s choice of words in saying that it would be "dangerous" outside of the electoral cycle. I do not accept that. We need to be encouraging more political discourse and this is a way of doing so. Throughout this whole debate that we have had on this key point, the point that Senator Malcolm Byrne and I have been advocating for has perhaps been slightly lost in terms of the rules that exist for other media platforms, many of which are already in trouble anyway as entities and may not eve…

That SIPTU-----