Sir, – The latest report tells us that RTÉ cannot fund two orchestras at a cost of €17.2 million and recommends that the symphony orchestra be funded directly by the Government (that is, by you and me) at a cost of €4 million. The report has been welcomed by Minister for Communications Denis Naughten, presumably in his official capacity.
Two months ago the director general of RTÉ, when introducing its five-year strategy, said that dealing with licence fee evasion and inefficiencies in the collection system would generate additional revenues of €40 million per annum for RTÉ without any increase in the licence fee.
Would the Minister please do his job and pass responsibility for collection of the licence fee to the Revenue Commissioners?
His preferred solution is the usual one – turn a blind eye to those who refuse to pay and impose additional costs on those who do pay. We shouldn’t need yet another report to enable us to see the glaringly obvious. – Yours, etc,
PAT O’BRIEN,
Rathmines,
Dublin 6.
Sir, – He who pays the piper plays the tune. – Yours, etc,
MARY BYRNE,
Bray,
Co Wicklow.