24-hour Dáil TV station? No, scrap it altogether, insist TDs

GOVERNMENT TDs have balked at proposals to grow Dáil TV into a ‘fully rounded Oireachtas television channel’.

The coverage of the Dáil on RTÉ’s Oireachtas Report was famously described by Pat Rabbitte as a ‘refuge for drunks and insomniacs’.

Now – if the draft communications strategy before the Oireachtas Commission gets the go-ahead – our ‘drunks and insomniacs’ will have a lot more to watch.

The communications plan, seen by the Mail on Sunday, has called on the Oireachtas to fund a series of high-end, bespoke documentaries to transform the Oireachtas TV channel into ‘a 24-hour TV station’.

It claims: ‘There is huge scope to expand and improve our in-house programming.

‘We have begun to support applications to the Broadcasting Authority’ to ‘access the very best talent in the independent broadcasting sector’.

Politicians, however, are not as optimistic, with one Government TD saying: ‘If anything, the channel should be abolished not expanded – no one knows it even exists.’

The TD dismissed claims by the communications unit that 2016 ‘had been a landmark year for production with setpiece parliamentary events such as the budget and the election of the ceann comhairle’.

‘The Oireachtas channel is essentially duplicating work that is already being done by ‘RTÉ and even TV3,’ the TD added.

Another politician said: ‘The drunks and insomniacs shouldn’t get too excited. This plan is heading towards the graveyard for all ideas that are too brave for their own good. We can’t even afford RTÉ, let alone another channel.’

While the draft plan does not contain costings for the expanded service, the MoS has learned that a figure of €160,000 was referred to during discussions on the proposals.

But one Government source warned: ‘€160,000 appears optimistic to roll out a full television channel. You could add another zero before you get close.

‘This could be a bigger white elephant than TG4 – they are living in la-la land.’

Responding to concerns about the cost of the service, an Oireachtas spokesperson said: ‘When it comes to new documentaries in 2017, the estimate of what we will spend is only in the region of about €50,000.’

At this early stage, however, they conceded: ‘It is hard to give a definitive figure.’