The Taoiseach has said that he supported the Arts Minister over the £14.50 increase in the RTE licence fee. Bertie Ahern also said that when outstanding issues were dealt with, Síle de Valera would look at the issue again. Earlier, the RTÉ Authority expressed concern about the increase, claiming that it will not allow the station to maintain the current level of broadcasting services.
In its first official reaction, RTÉ's governing body said that the level of the increase would not achieve what the Government appeared to believe it would. A three-paragraph statement after a special meeting today also expressed concern that the increase might not have taken account of the up-to-date projections of RTÉ's commercial revenue.
RTÉ News understands that this means that the £7m downturn in the station's commercial revenue does not appear to have been taken into consideration by the consultants employed by Minister de Valera. Had it been taken into account, the licence increase might have been £21, the statement says.
