British Irish Parliamentary Assembly agrees motion on closure of RTE's London office

The British Irish Parliamentary Assembly today agreed the motion below on the closure of RTE's London office. The motion was proposed by Paul Murphy MP with the support of 15 members of the Assembly from the legislatures represented. The motion was subsequently discussed and agreed.

"That the 44th plenary of the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly:

"Notes with concern the proposal of the Irish public service broadcaster, RTE (Radio Telefís Éireann), 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 viewers informed about British economic, political and cultural life, contributing to the peaceful resolution of conflict and promoting increasingly close relations between Britain and Ireland and the people of our respective islands.

"While recognising the drastic fall of broadcasting revenue at a time of economic crisis; further notes the concerns of the Irish community in Britain for the long-term consequences of not having an RTE correspondent in Britain.

"And that Parliamentarians here assembled from jurisdictions throughout Britain and Ireland believe that on-the-spot access for Irish-based media and engagement in public life in Britain supports the fulfilment of the vision of future British-Irish relations as set out by the Prime Minister and Irish Taoiseach in their historic statement of 12 March 2012; and urge the two Governments to support the case for retention of the RTÉ London correspondent and assist in the search for alternatives to closure."

ENDS