Rté London Bureau Closure

EDM number 76 in 2012-13, proposed by Paul Murphy on 17/05/2012.
Categorised under the topic of Broadcasting.

That this House notes with concern the proposal of the Irish public service broadcaster, RT (Radio Telefis ireann), to close its London bureau and cease operations from September 2012; pays tribute to the illustrious record of service provided by the bureau and its staff in keeping Irish viewers informed about British economic, political and cultural life, contributing to the peaceful resolution of conflict and promoting increasingly close relations between the people of our respective islands, while recognising the dramatic fall of broadcasting revenue at a time of economic hardship; further notes the concerns of the Irish community in Britain for the loss of this link; believes that on-the-spot access and public engagement of Irish-based media is important to the vision of future British-Irish relations as set out by the Prime Minister and Taoiseach in their joint statement of 12 March 2012; further notes that a motion supporting the maintenance of the RT service was adopted with cross-party and cross-jurisdictional backing at the 44th Plenary of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly held in Dublin on 14 and 15 May 2012; and urges the Government to support the case for retention and assist in the search for alternatives to closure.

This motion has been signed by a total of 44 MPs.