‘Drip, drip’ revelations ‘hindering a decision on funding’
A DRIP-FEED of ‘extremely corrosive’ revelations makes it ‘difficult’ to take a decision on future funding of RTÉ, frustrated senior ministers have said.
RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst and management at the national broadcaster have come in for strong criticism in the past week over ongoing revelations of golden handshakes for exiting senior executives.
Mr Bakhurst confirmed over the weekend that RTÉ’s former director of strategy, Rory Coveney, had received up to €200,000 in an exit package, which was part of a deal to have him leave the organisation.
The exit package for Richard Collins, the former chief financial officer, is still shrouded in secrecy due to a confidentiality clause in the agreement.
‘A bad weekend for the management’
Two Cabinet ministers yesterday warned that the continuing ‘drip, drip’ of revelations is now making it difficult for the Government to take a decision on the future funding of the organisation.
The Government has committed to reforming how RTÉ is funded, after revenue from the TV licence fell off a cliff in the wake of multiple scandals that began to emerge in July of last year.
Yesterday, Higher Education Minister Simon Harris said: ‘It’s been a bad weekend for RTÉ management in terms of the cultural change that has been promised to the people of Ireland, let alone the Government.
‘A key part of the cultural change has to be full transparency; unfortunately, we have not seen that in recent days.’
The Fine Gael TD continued: ‘We want to get beyond the point of this drip, drip feed, and I think that is damaging for confidence in RTÉ.
‘It also poses a difficult challenge for when we as a Government are going to decide,
hopefully around the summer, on the future funding of public service broadcasting.’
His comments were echoed by Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe, who said: ‘This has been another extremely corrosive number of days for RTÉ, at a time in which RTÉ and those who support RTÉ are trying to get on the front foot in making the case for the future of RTÉ and for its funding.
‘The Government wants to look to the future and see how RTÉ can be on a solid footing, but it’s obviously harder and harder to do that when we have to contend with more questions about the recent past.’
Mr Harris said that the two reports from Media Minister Catherine Martin on the future of RTÉ would contain ‘recommendations’ and a ‘roadmap’ to get the national broadcaster to a better place.
That will be the ‘rubber-hits-the-road’ moment, he said.
‘This will be the first roadmap, the actual recommendation setting out: “What does RTÉ actually need to do to get to a better place”,’ he explained.
He continued: ‘That is going to be the rubber-hits-the-road moment, in terms of them showing their commitment to change is not just surface level.’
He said that ‘they need to show the public that they get it’, but added: ‘I don’t think the actions of this weekend show that.’
Mr Harris, a TD for Wicklow, said the public wants the ‘drip-feed’ of revelations ‘to just end’.
‘We need a clear and understandable explanation from RTÉ management in relation to the exit packages,’ the minister commented.
He said he wanted to see a ‘more comprehensive’ statement from management.
Minister Donohoe, meanwhile, said the recent revelations ‘are really concerning’.
‘We were all expecting now to be at a point where we can look to the future,’ he added.
The Government is currently divided on how to fund the national broadcaster, with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Minister Catherine Martin favouring direct Exchequer funding.
However, Minister Donohoe, Finance Minister Michael McGrath and Tánaiste Micheál Martin are
‘We need a clear explanation’
all opposed to such a plan.
Both Minister Harris and Minister Donohoe insisted that they had confidence in Mr Bakhurst to lead RTÉ.
‘I have confidence in his ability to continue with his work,’ Mr Donohoe said.
He said that ‘the last number of days, the revelations that have emerged are a real cause for concern’, but added: ‘We feel and have felt that Mr Bakhurst and his team do have an appreciation of how serious this is.’
Mr Donohoe confirmed that an additional tranche of funding for RTÉ would still be released once the two reports from Ms Martin were published.
And Minister Harris added: ‘Transparency is key to cultural change. And I’d like to hear how they, in their minds, have squared, that commitment to transparency with the negotiation of confidentiality [with regards to exit packages].’