Brian Stanley, chair of the Public Accounts Committee, is pressing for an immediate follow-through on the suggestions from three investigations into the conduct, governance and HR protocols at RTÉ, which were revealed on Tuesday. His message to RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland was that implementation mustn’t be delayed to avoid further complications.
Stanley stated, expressing public sentiment, that people are disillusioned by the repeated scandals at the national broadcaster, including the disappearance of records, the poor governance, all resulting in a trust deficit.
Formerly, the Public Accounts Committee had generated a report with 21 recommendations, many of which featured in the review, according to Stanley.
He emphasised, “Now is the time for implementation, and it must be swift.”
When questioned about whether the unveiling of the review signifies an end to further probing of RTÉ, Stanley said trust and information flow between the station’s management and the supervising board were utterly broken.
Stanely sees a critical task for Terence O’Rourke, the chair of the board, and the board of RTE to guarantee good governance, transparency, accountability, and adherence to practices and protocols.
He noted, “Over several years, it’s evident that these standards have not been met at RTE. And the public, at this point, is tired of hearing about the same problems, such as lost records, total dismissal of procedures, shoddy governance, and the loss of trust.”
The report underscores the need for the Comptroller and Auditor General to take charge due to many issues at RTÉ in recent years being traceable to insufficient auditing and processes, added Stanley.
However, Stanley stated that the essential figures now are Kevin Bakhurst, the director general of RTÉ, and Mr O’Rourke, who must see to it that RTÉ metamorphoses and takes a fresh route. Yet he warned that any modification would involve legislation.
He stated that the RTÉ’s fresh financial plan still needs attention. It is essential for the government to arrive at a conclusion regarding this matter. Catherine Martin has opined that the potential funding of RTÉ through a mixed model could result in an undesirable situation.