Politics

RTÉ findings should be ‘positively received’ by broadcaster, says Minister

Pay and spending report has found governance and cultural issues to be addressed, and has recommendations for both RTÉ and Government

Minister for Media Catherine Martin said she received the reports at the weekend, and has been giving them 'detailed consideration'. Photograph: Tom Honan for The Irish Times

Cormac McQuinn
Thu May 2 2024 - 20:58

It is important that the recommendations of new reports on corporate governance and human resources issues at RTÉ are “positively received” by the national broadcaster, Minister for Media Catherine Martin has said.

The Government has received three new reports on controversies at RTÉ and the findings will feed into a decision, due before the summer recess, on how public service broadcasting is to be funded into the future.

On Wednesday The Irish Times reported that a report on pay and spending controversies at RTÉ carried out by Prof Niamh Brennan of UCD has found multiple “compliance failings” in the national broadcaster and it sets out numerous governance and cultural issues that need to be addressed.

A separate report by carried out by a small group headed up by consultant Brendan McGinty examined how RTÉ engages presenters and contractors.

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RTÉ News reported on Thursday that the various reports found poor governance at the organisation and that one recommendation is that there should be a modernised oversight structure and a strengthening of the links between the director general and the board.

One of the reports, by accountancy firm Mazars, examined RTÉ's barter account, a form of trading account in which media groups use advertising slots to pay for certain goods and services.

RTÉ News reported that it has been found that nobody gained personally from the barter account but that the RTÉ board was not told of the decision to set it up.

Ms Martin declined to comment on the findings and recommendations of the reports, saying it would be “inappropriate” to do so before she discusses them with Cabinet colleagues.

She told RTÉ News she received the reports at the weekend, said that she has been giving them “detailed consideration”, and confirmed she has shared them with the Coalition leaders.

Ms Martin said: “The two reports on governance and culture and indeed the HR are the ones of most significance.

“I have the Mazars [report] too but those two are the only ones since this crisis emerged that will have and do have recommendations and that is why they’re of such significance.”

She said there are recommendations for RTÉ and Government and she hopes the recommendations will be implemented.

Ms Martin added: “I think it’s important that they would be positively received from RTÉ so that we can move forward. I think we need to move into the forward-looking piece now and of course there’s an onus on us too. Part of that is a decision on the sustainable funding model for RTÉ too.”

[ RTÉ controversies: New report finds multiple ‘compliance failings’ at broadcaster ]

She said the reports will be published after she brings them to Cabinet but no decision has been taken on when this will happen. Ms Martin said she would discuss the matter with the Coalition leaders in the coming days.

TV Licence fee income is down significantly since the eruption of the turmoil at RTÉ, necessitating big Government bailouts.

Ms Martin favours a form of direct exchequer funding for RTÉ but Tánaiste Micheál Martin has set himself against that option, backed up by Minister for Finance Michael McGrath and Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe.

Asked on Thursday if he would rule out exchequer funding at this stage, Mr McGrath said: “We will have the discussion over the weeks ahead. We’re not at the point yet of making a decision.”

He said he has not seen the new reports on RTÉ yet but their delivery to Ms Martin “represents progress”.

Mr McGrath added: “Now we have all the reports that were being awaited and that enables us now to move on to the next stage as a Government that is deciding on what is a sustainable funding basis, not just for RTÉ, but for public service broadcasting and those that provide public service content.”

Cormac McQuinn

Cormac McQuinn

Cormac McQuinn is a Political Correspondent at The Irish Times

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