War of words between Mayo TDs as Dillon hits out at ‘nonsensical’ Sinn Féin TV licence proposal

MAYO TD Alan Dillon has attacked a Sinn Féin proposal to scrap the TV licence fee as ‘giving two fingers to law-abiding citizens’.

The opposition party are due to table a private members’ motion before the Dáil calling for an abolition of the TV licence. Sinn Féin has also called for a legal amnesty to those who haven’t paid the €160 fee, which RTÉ’s primary source of funding.

Deputy Dillon had labelled the motion as ‘nonsensical’ and described the legal amnesty proposals as ‘nonsensical and reckless’.

“For Mayo Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh to say that she would give a legal amnesty to those who don’t the pay the TV licence is irresponsible and reckless, and it demonstrates that Sinn Féin think they are above the law,” the Fine Gael TD stated.

The Future of Media Commission’s 2022 report included a recommendation that the licence fee be replaced by exchequer funding.

Licence fee revenue plummeted by over €16 million last year following the payments controversy surrounding former RTÉ presenter Ryan Tubridy.  

Deputy Dillon, who is a member of the Oireachtas Media Committee, said the government was ‘committed to putting in place a more sustainable, long-term funding model for public service media in Ireland including RTÉ’.

He said a decision would be made on the matter after the reports of the two independent expert reviews into RTÉ are received.

“The mask slips yet again with Sinn Féin demonstrating how irresponsible and reckless they are in their attempt to manage the country. As Taoiseach Leo Varadkar rightly said today (Tuesday), this proposal represents a slap in the face to law abiding citizens who pay their bills and have paid their licence fee this year and for years,” Deputy Dillon added.

“It would also defund public service media at a vital time when democracy is under threat due to the spread of misinformation and the rise of illiberal democracy.

“Contrary to what Sinn Féin say, it does not provide some kind of silver bullet solution to the financial mismanagement and controversies we witnessed at RTÉ, it will only punish ordinary decent workers at the national broadcaster and starve the organisation of essential funding.”

Defending the current license fee, Deputy Dillon said: “Until that new future funding model is agreed, the TV licence system remains in place and all householders should have one.

“Not only is it the law, but it supports a wide range of public service media created by the independent sector for a number of other broadcasters and not only RTE. This will undoubtedly be another poorly thought-out motion that Sinn Féin consigns to the dustbin,” Deputy Dillon concluded.

Speaking to The Mayo News today, Deputy Rose-Conway Walsh labelled Deputy Dillon’s comments as ‘nonsensical’ and said that she would happily debate the issue with him.

“His comments are nonsensical and what I have come to expect from him and his government,” Deputy Conway-Walsh said.

“Deputy Dillon is symptomatic of a government that is out of touch, out of ideas and out of time.

“The fact is the public want the TV Licence gone. Sinn Féin has set out our plan to do that, Deputy Dillion and Fine Gael are coming up with excuses not to do that and have sat on their hands for the last two and a half years since the recommendations of the Future of Media Commission Report,” she added.