The Cabinet has today approved an increase of €2 in the television licence fee, bringing the annual charge to €152.00
The Minister for Communications, Mr Ahern, said RTE was getting less than it might have under an agreement put in place on the restructuring of the company last year, because it had not achieved all it promised.
Mr Ahern said there was "some dissatisfaction" with the progress of RTE's so-called change management programme, particularly in relation to the reduction of staff numbers this year.
RTE could have expected a maximum of €3.45 increase in the annual licence fee, in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Mr Ahern said the question of staff numbers would be given "first priority" when considering any future increases in the licence fee.
He promised to initiate an external review on the effects of the licence fee on all broadcasters, with an emphasis on any possible distortion of the advertising market, he told RTE's 5-7 Live.
The chairman of the RTE Authority, Mr Paddy Wright, welcomed the increase in the licence fee. It was also welcomed this evening by the RTE group of unions. The unions, however, rejected the contention that there had not been enough redundancies at the station.