Mayo TD calls on Government: 'It's time to act-end the TV licence'

Sinn Féin TD, Rose Conway Walsh, has called on her fellow Mayo TDs to support her party's proposals to abolish the TV licence with immediate effect.

The Ballycroy native said RTÉ and other public service media should be funded directly through the government budget. She acknowledges the spike in the amount of people not paying their licence as a result of ‘financial scandals’ involving the national broadcaster. 

The Mayo TD said these issues have ‘rocked people's trust and confidence’ in them and the TV licence.

"Sixty people per day face prosecution for non-payment. A staggering 13,000 people were summoned before the courts last year while no one has been held to account for the incredible waste of public money at RTÉ” said Teachta Conway-Walsh.

Ms Conway-Walsh called for a ‘funding model that delivers and sustains’ vibrant, diverse, public sector broadcasting and an independent media sector.

“This should be done in a platform-neutral Media Fund, which would support RTÉ and TG4 as well as public service content production and activities of commercial, regional and community providers” she added.

The Sinn Féin party published a policy document delivering sustainable public sector broadcasting and an independent media sector. 

A Dáil motion was announced on the issue, which will be debated this week.

The Government is currently considering replacing the licence with a new household charge collected by Revenue, to which Conway-Walsh said ‘should go hand in glove with greater accountability and public oversight’.

"The public wants decisive action on this. They have had enough of the mixed messages from the government” she concluded.