Decision to retain TV licence may be reversed, says Catherine Martin

Minister for Media Catherine Martin has indicated that the Government might be willing to reverse its decision to retain the TV licence in light of the Ryan Tubridy pay controversy and the rapid decline in RTÉ's income since the summer.

At a meeting of the Oireachtas Media Committee on Wednesday, Ms Martin said the change of fortunes for the national broadcaster had changed her mindset over the future funding of public service broadcasting.

In June 2022 the Government rejected the central recommendation of the Future of Media Commission that the TV licence be scrapped and be replaced by direct exchequer funding.

[ Mass refusal to pay the TV licence fee won’t result in its abolition ]

Ms Martin commissioned a technical working group to set out options for modernising and reforming the licence without scrapping it. It reported its findings earlier this year but the Government paused any further work on the issue after the RTÉ payments controversy arose.

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In reply to questions from Christopher O’Sullivan, a Fianna Fáil TD, Ms Martin said the technical working group’s work had been done in the context of licence collections not dropping off at the rate that they have.

She said the context was now quite different and indicated that the consideration needed to be wider.

“I am now of the opinion that when it comes to [future funding] everything should be on the table. With the emergence of this crisis my mindset has changed. So it is just not what the Technical Working Group has [reported on], everything is on the table,” she said.

The Minister attended the committee, chaired by Fianna Fáil TD Niamh Smyth, to give an update on external reviews and examinations that are ongoing looking at governance and other issues within RTÉ.

In her opening statement Ms Martin confirmed the remit has been widened of the forensic accountants, Mazars, looking into the RTÉ barter account. Mazars will now examined the account back to its establishment in 2022. The account was used to channel payments of €150,000 to broadcaster Ryan Tubridy, that RTÉ did not publicly disclose at the time of payment.

In a two-hour session, Ms Martin was guarded in her responses to questions in relation to the timing and quantum of long-term funding, and also of interim funding that is required by the broadcaster.

She said the Government agency that assesses financial matters, NewEra, had conceded its assessment of RTE’s application for €34 million in interim funding. However, she would not disclose what NewEra considers as the appropriate amount, other than to say its findings would be made public by the end of the year.

[ TV licence fee sales drop €10m in wake of controversy over RTÉ's secret payments to Tubridy ]

She told Fine Gael TD Alan Dillon: “I believe we should wait until we see the strategic vision [being prepared by RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst] and see what the plans are for robust governance for the future of RTÉ.

She said: “We need to see a very clear plan on the robust governance going forward on the cost efficiencies.”

Under questioning from Senator Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fáil), and earlier from Sinn Féin TD Imelda Munster, Ms Martin has said that a decision on the future funding of RTÉ will be made in the first half of 2024.

She said that before any decision has been made, the “element of trust has to be there”.

Asked why it was taking so long, she said she wanted the decision ultimately made on RTÉ's future funding model to be the correct one.

“Successive governments have failed on this issue. This is the Government that will grasp the nettle,” she said.