STATE SCRUTINY OVER RTE ‘COMMON SENSE’

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IT is now almost certain that RTE will soon be scrutinised by the State’s spending watchdog because of the ongoing crisis at the station.

The Dail’s Public Accounts Committee is to recommend that RTE is brought under the remit of the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General.

PAC will publish its final report into the crisis at the national broadcaster tomorrow morning, a document containing more than 20 recommendations.

If that C&AG recommendation is adopted by the Government, RTE would also be reporting regularly to PAC as well as the Oireachtas Media Committee.

Because of the ongoing crisis at the national broadcaster there is likely to be little opposition to the move.

Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris described the move as “sensible”.

Speaking on RTE’S The Week In Politics, Minister Harris said: “These recommendations sound very like common sense to me.

“I think putting RTE back under the control of the Comptroller and Auditor General is the sensible thing to do.”

He added that March is “a really important month to move beyond revelation, I think, to recommendation and higher terrain for RTE”.

PACKAGES

It is understood that the PAC report will further demand that all future exit packages are reported, and none can include a nondisclosure agreement.

PAC will also seek to ensure all salaried positions over €150,000 are reported.

For the past eight months, PAC has examined the crisis, part of which involved public hearings with RTE execs and board members.

Chair of PAC Brian Stanley said the report is “concise but comprehensive” and the recommendations are “reasonable, fair but firm”.

He added that the public needs to have trust in RTE and, he suggested, these recommendations would achieve that goal.

Fine Gael TD and PAC member Colm Burke said it is vital that the C&AG recommendation has to be adopted.

He said: “RTE is receiving a substantial portion of its income from the taxpayers, therefore there must be full transparency and accountability – including coming back under the C&AG.”

Sinn Fein TD for Louth and PAC member Imelda Munster also emphasised the importance of bringing RTE under the remit of the C&AG. She said: “Stringent layers of oversight and accountability are required at every level of the [RTE] executive and the board.”