Politics

RTÉ crisis: Documents on contested phone call between Siún Ní Raghallaigh and civil servant sought by committee

Documents show there were 15 meetings between Siun Ní Raghallaigh and Catherine Martin since the former was appointed as chair of RTÉ

When the former chair of the RTÉ board, Siún Ní Raghallaigh, incorrectly told Minister for Media Catherine Martin that the board had no role in signing off an exit package last month it triggered a collapse in their relationship and led to Ms Ní Raghallaigh's resignation. Photograph: Gareth Chaney/ Collins Photos

Jack Horgan-Jones
Thu Mar 7 2024 - 05:30

The Oireachtas Media Committee is to seek new documents on a contested phone call between former RTÉ chair Siún Ní Raghallaigh and a senior civil servant from the Department of Arts and Media.

The department sent a cache of documents to the committee on Tuesday night, largely related to the immediate run-in to Ms Ní Raghallaigh’s shock resignation last month. However, Fine Gael TD for Kerry Brendan Griffin has written to the clerk of the committee seeking any other documents relating to a phone call between Ms Ní Raghallaigh and the then top civil servant in the department, former secretary general Katherine Licken.

Ms Ní Raghallaigh has maintained that the department was told during this phone call that the remuneration subcommittee of the RTÉ board had signed off on an exit package for its former chief financial officer Richard Collins – something Ms Licken says she has no recollection of.

When the former chair of the RTÉ board incorrectly told Minister for Arts and Media Catherine Martin that the board had no role in signing off the exit package last month it triggered a collapse in their relationship and led to her resignation.

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Ms Martin has previously indicated no record exists of the phone call, which came on budget day in October, but Mr Griffin is seeking any documentation pertaining to the discussions “as a matter of urgency”.

The documents released to the committee on Wednesday show that Ms Ní Raghallaigh sought a phone call with Ms Martin as matters deteriorated on the night of February 22nd, which was not granted. Ms Martin has indicated that she wanted a full meeting with officials present. The Green Party deputy leader sent a letter to Ms Ní Raghallaigh that evening expressing her disappointment, which she disclosed later that evening during an interview on RTÉ's Prime Time show. The then chair of RTÉ had said she would resign if the letter was sent, taking it as a vote of no confidence in her.

The documents also show there were 15 meetings between Ms Ní Raghallaigh and Ms Martin since the former was appointed as chair of RTÉ, seemingly contradicting a statement from Ms Ní Raghallaigh on Monday which said Ms Martin had a “hands-off” approach and there had been only a handful of meetings between them. There are significant gaps between some meetings – including an 11-week gap between November 9th, 2023, and January 23rd this year. It is understood a meeting had been arranged for this period but was cancelled as ongoing reports into RTÉ had not been completed.

Separately, it has emerged that the new chair of RTÉ, Terence O’Rourke, was appointed without going through the regular Public Appointments Service (PAS) process.

A spokesman for the department said guidelines on appointments to State boards “specifically provide for exceptions to the usual Public Appointments Service processes, and as such the process is in line with guidelines”.

The department did not respond to a request on which precise part of the guidelines allowed for such a step.

He said a PAS process “informed” the appointment of two other appointments to the RTÉ board this week.

A spokesman said that two external reviews into RTÉ will be submitted this month. The chairs of each review group updated Ms Martin last month. A review of governance and culture will soon undergo fact checking and processes to ensure fair procedure was followed, he said, taking a number of weeks.

A separate review into contractor fees, HR and other matters has concluded its work programme, he said, and is undergoing administrative processes prior to formal submission.

No interim reports have been furnished.

Jack Horgan-Jones

Jack Horgan-Jones

Jack Horgan-Jones is a Political Correspondent with The Irish Times

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