...but Varadkar backs the DG: He’s doing his best to stabilise RTÉ

TAOISEACH Leo Varadkar has expressed confidence in Kevin Bakhurst after questions arose about the RTÉ director general’s position following revelations over ‘golden handshakes’ given to top executives.

But Mr Varadkar, pictured, gave his support to calls to put a cap on exit payments at the national broadcaster and said confidentiality clauses ‘should be avoided’ in the future.

The Fine Gael leader expressed his support for Mr Bakhurst amid unease at Cabinet over the payments given to former RTÉ executives Rory Coveney and Richard Collins. Mr Varadkar: ‘I think Siún Ní Raghallaigh as the new [RTÉ board] chair is doing very good job in difficult circumstances. We have a new DG in Kevin Bakhurst to I think is doing his very best to stabilise the organisation.’

He said they are ‘relatively new in their roles’ and ‘deserve a chance to get things right’.

He added that he wants ‘maximum transparency’ when it comes to exit packages at RTÉ.

It comes after Mr Bakhurst defended his decision to give an exit package to former director of strategy Mr Coveney estimated to be worth €200,000.

The DG said there were ‘absolutely no grounds’ to sack Mr Coveney, who was described as the ‘driving force’ behind an illfated Toy Show musical which lost €2.2million.

Mr Varadkar acknowledged Mr Bakhurst is seeking further legal advice around this. The Taoiseach added that ‘certainly, whatever is at the legal limit of possibilities, we want to see maximum transparency’.

However, he said it ‘may be the case that because of confidentiality clauses, it won’t be possible to disclose all the information that we’d like to see’.

Mr Varadkar also said he agreed with Media Minister Catherine Martin in her calls for

a cap to be placed on exit payments. ‘I think what Minister Martin said about this is spot on,’ he said, adding that ‘confidentiality clauses should be avoided wherever possible’.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said she wants to see Mr Bakhurst be ‘fully forthright and transparent’ on the payment to Mr Coveney.

‘I mean, he describes himself as the new broom to sweep clean and (bring in) change. That to me is very welcome language. That’s what he needs to be,’ Ms McDonald said.

She also said the ‘slowness of RTÉ in coming forward with information is making a bad situation a whole lot worse’.