The relationship between governmental representatives and the newly established media regulator, Coimisiún na Meán, is strained due to debates over issues of governance, the regulator’s autonomy, and a €2 million proposal for office furniture.
The Media Department’s internal documents highlight their worries following Coimisiún na Meán’s plan to spend up to €2 million on furnishings at their Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 premises. It was observed that other state bodies of equivalent size had invested significantly less in furniture.
In the budget of 2025, it was promised that the inheritance tax threshold would be increased to €400,000. Simon Harris, Minister for Further and Higher Education in 2022, had previously stated, in response to a query in the Dáil, that his recently established department had only spent a total of €105,000, including fitting costs, on furniture over the first three years after its establishment in 2020. The department employs approximately 260 staff.
Jeremy Godfrey, executive chairman of Coimisiún na Meán, separately admitted to the Department of Media’s secretary-general that there have been conflicts between their organisations regarding the regulator’s independence and the understanding of their individual roles and duties.
Coimisiún na Meán, tasked with regulating broadcasters and online media, was founded just the year before.
On June 26th, secretary general of the Media Department, Feargal Ó Coigligh, wrote a letter to Mr Godfrey. He conveyed that the financial guaranties previously given by the regulator to the department had been cast into doubt following an audit by Deloitte, a consulting company. He referred to the regulator’s desire in the summer of 2023 to approve a 59-month lease for provisional lodgings. As Ó Coigligh explained, there were initial assurances that there would be no capital expenditure linked to furnishing this building, however, a €2 million office furniture tender request came to light later on.
The regulatory authority confirmed a current furniture budget of approximately €500,000 in response to inquiries, stating that it was a typical practice to request tenders for larger expenditures for future growth provision. The said amount would suffice for general office necessities such as desks, chairs, meeting room furnishings and hybrid working pods.
According to the regulator, the present blend of used and temporary furniture fails to promote efficient office space utilization and doesn’t offer the necessary facilities for meetings. Replying to questions, the Coimisiún na Meán claimed to have supplied accurate data to Catherine Martin’s department to facilitate suitable exchequer funding requisitions for its start-up expenses.
The spending watchdog, Comptroller and Auditor General, had sanctioned its last year’s expenditure, the regulator stated. Mr Godfrey, in a letter dated July 15th, expressed that “a disagreement on the merits of Coimisiún na Meán’s autonomy and the roles and duties of the department and Coimisiún na Meán in several administrative matters” has stirred up spats among their teams.
The department’s communications to Coimisiún na Meán were part of its collaborative efforts to build capacity to support the regulator’s growth and function in a broader role than that of its predecessor. The department voiced it was convinced end of 2023 would see Coimisiún na Meán’s drawdowns suitably reconciled and accounted for.