RTÉ exit package controversy lands at crucial moment for broadcaster’s future

Good morning,

The latest RTÉ controversy could not have come at a worse time for the station. At the exact time of year when Ministers are laying out their priorities for the months ahead, and figuring out what thorny issues are worth grappling in the lead-up to a general election, another landmine explodes.

A new report by legal firm McCann Fitzgerald has found that an exit package paid to RTÉ's former chief financial officer Breda O’Keeffe had not been brought before the executive board of the broadcaster before being approved.

As Jack Power and Cormac McQuinn report, the review found that Ms O’Keeffe’s exit under the scheme had been approved by Dee Forbes, then RTÉ director general, rather than the broadcaster’s executive board, as would have been the expectation.

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Minister for Media Catherine Martin was quick with a response. She said the report “demonstrates an appalling disregard for the principles of equity, fairness and transparency in the treatment of staff, which prevailed at the time.”

That’s not the end of RTÉ's problems here, however.

The report also raised issues about 10 cases where people had been given redundancy packages under the exit scheme that may not have been fully in line with Revenue rules. The report said those cases, which included Ms O’Keeffe’s package, did not meet requirements to be classed as redundancies, which could have tax implications for the lump sums people were paid.

Needless to say, as per this report by Jack Power, RTÉ staff are absolutely weary after the body-blow they have once again been dealt.

RTÉ staff are waiting “for strong evidence of a culture shift” within the organisation and feel exhausted at the publication of more evidence that a “parallel universe” and “secret rules” existed within the national broadcaster for so long, we report today.

Chair of National Union of Journalists (NUJ) Dublin broadcasting branch, RTÉ education correspondent Emma O’Kelly, said the findings were “concerning and wearying” at a time when staff just want to “put these times behind them”.

She spoke of staff being told about a “massive financial crisis” facing the organisation, while at the same time, “the chief financial officer was walking out the door with a substantial redundancy payment that, as we know today, went under the radar”.

The fact remains: a massive financial crisis is facing the State broadcaster as TV licence income plummets. With every damning report, senior Ministers become less convinced about direct State involvement or Exchequer funding for the organisation. It is without doubt that the outcome of this report, and the report into the ill-fated Toy Show the Musical, has hardened opinion within Government around future options for RTÉ. None of the options on the table look appealing any more: direct Exchequer funding, a broadcasting levy, or a TV licence collected by Revenue. Danger lies ahead, and Ministers know it.

Sinn Féin motion calling on Government to join South African ICJ defeated

As the eagle-eyed Sarah Burns writes today, the Sinn Féin motion calling on the Government to join South Africa’s case against Israel under the Genocide Convention in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) was defeated in the Dáil last night.

The ICJ found last week that South Africa’s accusation that Israel has breached the Genocide Convention was plausible enough for it to order emergency measures to protect Palestinian lives.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said Ireland welcomed the ICJ’s decision but that the court “did not make any findings of genocide against Israel”.

“But [the court] did say that South Africa has a relevant case that can be considered and we are now taking a rigorous legal analysis of this matter,” he said.

“Our understanding from our initial legal advice is that the term join is not the correct one to use,” he said. As the months of 2024 wear on, the pressure will only increase on the Government to give a definitive position.

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Playbook

Dáil Eireann

Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan will take questions at 9am, followed by questions to the Minister for Finance Michael McGrath at 10.30am. Leaders’ Questions are up at noon with Sinn Féin, the Social Democrats, the Regional Group and Rural Independent Group leading the charge. There will be questions on policy then, followed by Topical Issues at 1.44pm. The Dáil adjourns at 3.47pm, which is a short enough day by normal standards.

View the full schedule here.

Seanad

Proceedings kick off at 10.30am with commencement matters, which will be followed by the order of business. At 11.45am, the International Financial Institution Funds Bill will be debated followed by the Coroners (Amendment) Bill 2024 to ensure there are enough coroners around the country.

Committees

At 9.30am, the Committee of Public Accounts will hear from the Department of Health and the HSE on the establishment of the new regional health areas, budget controls, governance, agency costs and more.

At the same time, the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement will hear from representatives from InterTradeIreland and others.

An hour later at 10.30am, the Joint Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community will discuss traveller accommodation.

Read a more detailed schedule here.

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