Statement from the Board and Executive of Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland on the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill
The Board and Executive of Fís Éireann sincerely thank Minister Catherine Martin TD for her steadfast and meaningful engagement on the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill as it reaches Report and Final Stage in Dáil Éireann. We would like to thank her for recognising the transformative potential of this legislation, and in particular the potential impact of the content production scheme on the Irish creative screen industry. The provisions within this Bill will help preserve European cultural diversity on screen, supporting both the production and prominence of European audiovisual works into the future.
These amendments recognise key areas of importance that have contributed to the industry’s success to date and remain vital to sustained future growth. The Irish sector relies on the talent and commitment of countless creative professionals, including writers, directors, producers, composers, actors and crew among many others, and these amendments acknowledge the collective value of their contributions.
The inclusion of ‘development’ activity in the amendments is essential to enable the continuous development of Irish creative concepts and ideas into viable screen projects that are market-ready.
The recognition of the importance of intellectual property retention within the terms and conditions of any scheme will help empower the Irish independent production sector and the allocation of funds outlined underscores the vital role of the Irish independent producer.
The allocation of funding for the Irish language is also a welcome inclusion to ensure the continued growth of local language audiovisual production, supporting the ongoing development of regional hubs.
We would like to acknowledge the work undertaken by the Joint Creative Audiovisual Sectoral Group comprising RTÉ, TG4, Screen Producers Ireland, Animation Ireland, Writers Guild of Ireland, Screen Directors Guild of Ireland and Screen Composers Guild of Ireland, providing the collective industry view supporting the transposition of the Directive.