These are dangerous times for RTÉ with Government hardening its stance towards broadcaster

Good morning,

The RTÉ controversy is now one week old, and every day new and meaningful information is coming out. One of the truisms of crisis communications is to get everything out there, rather than allowing new facts to feed the media cycle. But new facets of the controversy keep emerging, further corroding the public’s trust in RTÉ and compounding the damage done with the Government.

Just one example: Yesterday, RTÉ chairwoman Siún Ní Raghallaigh was conceding “shocking” governance failings, but during the meeting with the Oireachtas media committee, she disclosed that she had first of all sought former director general Dee Forbes’s resignation, before suspending her, and then convening a disciplinary process, only for her to resign anyway – the acceptance of which put her beyond the reaches of Oireachtas committees. And Ní Raghallaigh neglected to tell Minister for Media Catherine Martin she had sought the resignation. A week ago, the broadcaster wouldn’t even breathe Forbes’s name as it confessed to the payments – yesterday, it was describing for the first time that her resignation was sought. Almost every day in-between, new facts have come out about her departure. It is just one example – there are more (the apparent inability to get to the bottom of, or even properly explain, €120,000 supposedly paid to Tubridy from 2017-2019 is another) – here’s more of what we learned yesterday.

The net effect of all this has led to a hardening of the Government’s stance towards RTÉ. On Monday and Tuesday, the Coalition was probably looking for a way to start repairing the broadcaster, but there is now a view that more needs to come from the organisation, with Martin saying as much after the hearing, and the Taoiseach beforehand.

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These are dangerous times for RTÉ, which faces the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) this afternoon.

Best Reads

Miriam Lord on who may or may not be under the bus, RTÉ supporting the (dark) arts, and much more.

Colm Keena assesses the committee session.

Conor Gallagher on how a criminal case is highly unlikely.

Arthur Beesley’s analysis is here.

Away from the Montrose fiasco, the ESRI was laying down a pre-budget marker on tax cuts:

Playbook

The Taoiseach is away in Brussels for the European Council today and Friday, where he will be discussing Ukraine, security and defence, the economy, migration, and relations with China. Correspondents were waiting with bated breath for an indication on whether EU leaders would also get an update on the Tubs situation.

Back at the ranch, the big draw, of course, is the PAC having its bite of the RTÉ cherry at 1.30pm, and you can follow our live blog for the latest on that this afternoon.

Elsewhere, the disability committee was to meet representatives of the Irish Deaf Society on the World Report on Hearing at 9.30am. The Human Rights and Equality Commission and equivalent bodies in the North are before the Good Friday Agreement committee to hear about the impact of Brexit on rights on the island of Ireland. That’s at 1.30pm.

At the same time, Minister of State Malcolm Noonan is bringing legislation on heritage to the housing committee, while the public petitions committee will hear from the ombudsman for the Defence Forces, also at 1.30pm.

The full schedule is here.

In the Seanad, commencement matters are at 9.30am, followed by the order of business. At 11.30am, the upper house will consider legislation giving effect to EU consumer rights directives.

The full Seanad schedule is here.

In the Dáil, Wednesday starts with oral questions for Simon Coveney and Norma Foley, before Leaders’ Questions at midday. There is a minute’s silence for Ukraine before questions on policy or legislation at 12.35pm. The second stage of the legislation giving effect to windfall taxes on energy companies comes before the house at 1.45pm, before topical issues at 6.25pm. Green Party TD Francis Noel Duffy is using private members’ time in the evening to bring forward a Bill on the liability of builders and developers in relation to defective dwellings.

The full schedule is here.

A quick clarification: yesterday this digest published today’s Dáil proceedings billed as Wednesday’s – apologies for that.