THE GOVERNMENT may consider the introduction of a universal household charge to replace the TV licence and take account of those using computers and mobile phones for television viewing.

Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte told the Dáil that “young people in particular are not necessarily at all accessing television through their television screen”.

He added that “not very far down the road” the “notion of some kind of universal household charge might well be worth considering”.

Mr Rabbitte said he had an “open mind” on the issue and it would be included in the review of funding of public and independent broadcasters, promised in the programme for government.

He was responding to Michael McGrath (FF, Cork South Central), who asked when the review of funding would take place, who would conduct it and its terms of reference.

Mr McGrath said independent broadcasters were asking that any new broadcasting charge to replace the licence fee should also fund radio stations. He asked if the charge would be used to fund independent broadcasting entities and if so would the Minister extend public service obligations to commercial broadcasters.

Mr Rabbitte, during his first Dáil question time as Minister for Communications, said there was a separate review ongoing in the department of the effectiveness of the licence collection system.

The Minister said the department was attempting to “measure the extent of evasion” and “to get a handle on the new ‘platforms’ that are there” for television viewing.

Mr Rabbitte said the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland would carry out a review of public funding of broadcasting along with a separate review of the funding scheme, available to independent producers and all free-to-air broadcasters and resourced through 7 per cent of licence fee receipts.

He said that authority’s two reports would be completed by the end of the year, as required by the Broadcasting Act.

Meanwhile, the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland (IBI) called yesterday for RTÉ Radio 1 to become an entirely publicly funded station without advertising revenue.

IBI chairman Scott Williams said replacing the licence fee with a new public broadcasting charge as set out in the programme for government was an opportunity to “level the playing pitch” in terms of public funding for broadcasters.

Mr Williams told the annual IBI conference that they will be seeking an early meeting with Mr Rabbitte to discuss the proposed charge.

Mr Williams said RTÉ Radio 1 should be entirely a speech radio station with high-end public service programming similar to BBC Radio 4.

DJ-led programmes would “have no place” in such a schedule, he added.