Pressure is being exerted on Catherine Martin, the Minister for Media, to provide a public response to Siún Ní Raghallaigh, previous RTÉ chairwoman’s claim that she adopted a “hands-off” attitude towards the national broadcaster. Opposition politicians are insistent that Ms Martin addresses questions about RTÉ in the Dáil before the St Patrick’s Day break, however, this has yet to be incorporated into the Dáil’s agenda. It could be several weeks before Ms Martin is due to reappear at the Oireachtas Committee on Media.
When asked on Tuesday evening if she would be available to talk to the press ahead of her departure to the US for ministerial duties this Friday, Ms Martin’s spokesperson stated a decision has yet to be made.
RTÉ has been embroiled in a succession of controversies since undetermined payouts made to ex-Late Late Show host Ryan Tubridy became public knowledge in June of last year. Ms Ní Raghallaigh resigned from her role as RTÉ chairwoman when Ms Martin refrained from expressing faith in her during a Prime Time interview last month.
On Monday, in her statement, Ms Ní Raghallaigh acknowledged having a scarce number of meetings with Ms Martin during her 15-month stint as chair and implied Ms Martin maintained a “hands-off approach”.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar rose to Ms Martin’s defence regarding her level of engagement with RTÉ, emphasising she had met with Ms Ní Raghallaigh 11 times since the previous summer. He noted that the Minister would be prepared to appear in front of the Oireachtas Committee on Media, but she would prefer this to transpire with the backdrop of the finalisation of the government-commissioned reports. The delivery of these reports is slated for several weeks in the future.
Ms Martin is believed to have sent a letter to the Oireachtas Committee on Media on Tuesday night, highlighting her meetings with Ms Ní Raghallaigh and supplying documents, some associated with the previous chairwoman’s exit.
Reports suggest that Ms Martin’s letter will elaborate on the 15 meetings that occurred during Ms Ní Raghallaigh’s time as RTÉ chairwoman, 12 of which happened after the onset of the broadcaster’s crisis in June.
The appointment of Terence O’Rourke, former managing partner of KPMG, as the new chairperson for the RTÉ board was approved by the Cabinet. The board will also welcome new members in the form of Human resources expert, Terri Moloney, and award-winning director and writer, Dr Neasa Hardiman. The newly-appointed chairman is set to meet with both Mr. Varadkar and Ms. Martin in the near future.
Meanwhile, the Dáil’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has disclosed its findings regarding the RTÉ controversy. The PAC report suggests that RTÉ might have tried to bypass regular rules and processes with the approval of undisclosed payments to Mr. Tubridy. The report indicates that the PAC was given an abridged note, hinting at an effort to hide the supposed sponsorship of the contract and payments made to Mr. Tubridy. Evidence also pointed towards a promise by the then director general, Dee Forbes, to ensure certain payments to Mr. Tubridy.
The report by PAC revealed that RTÉ may have intentionally distorted the earnings of its top 10 highest paid presenters. Between 2017 and 2019, Mr. Tubridy’s earnings were under-reported by €120,000, which seriously deteriorated public trust.
One of the leading recommendations of the report is for the Government to place RTÉ back under the legal authority of the Comptroller and Auditor General. Although the Government is set to scrutinize the report, neither Micheál Martin nor Minister for Public Expenditure, Paschal Donohoe, pledged to carry out this proposal.
The PAC report additionally recommended that any future severance packages agreed upon with RTÉ employees should not include any clauses demanding confidentiality. For further political analysis and discussions, listen to our Inside Politics Podcast, receive push alerts or join The Irish Times on WhatsApp.