Tánaiste calls for ‘full transparency of salaries and packages’ within RTÉ

File image of Taanaiste Micheaal Martin

TÁNAISTE MICHEÁL MARTIN has said there should be “full transparency of salaries and packages” within RTÉ.

Speaking on RTÉ’s This Week, Martin said: “Where any organisation is being funded by the public, there should be full transparency in terms of salaries and packages”.

Martin also said that politicians “need to respect the editorial independence of RTÉ” but warned that the broadcaster needs to “build up trust with people in respect of its governance and administration”.

Martin remarked that RTÉ’s director-general Kevin Bakhurst is “doing everything he possibly can to do that”.

When asked if there should be a cap on exit payments in the future, Martin said the payments “should correspond with norms”.

He added: “If there is a demand for more funding from the state or from other sources, people will want to see transparency, they want to see norms that are not excessive, and that are perceived to be reasonable.”

Yesterday, RTÉ’s director-general commented on the exit arrangements for four former executives – director of commercial Geraldine O’Leary, director of legal affairs Paula Mullooly, director of strategy Rory Coveney and chief financial officer Richard Collins.

Saying he was restricted following legal advice, Bakhurst said O’Leary retired from RTÉ and did not receive an exit payment, while Mullooly left to pursue another opportunity and did not receive an exit payment.

Bakhurst said Coveney agreed that he should stand down, his role became redundant, and an exit payment was offered by RTÉ and accepted.

Bakhurst went on: “Following independent mediation, Richard Collins, RTÉ’s former chief financial officer, departed RTÉ by mutual agreement, with a binding confidentiality clause that was agreed to by both sides and in the interest of fairness and respect cannot be breached.

“As I have said before, in relation to all the exits, I have sought an update to the legal advice previously received.”

While Martin said there is “understandable anger and the need for more accountability”, he remarked that he is “always loathe to respond with particular policy initiatives without seeing the full consequences of them”.

Martin also warned that the political system “should avoid over involvement in RTÉ or in media generally because of the editorial independence issue”.

“We see what’s happening in other governments, even within the European Union,” said Martin, “where excessive control exists of the media, which can affect electoral outcomes.”

When asked about the future funding of RTÉ, Martin said it is “sensible that we await the two reports commissioned in respect of governance and other issues”.

Reports into culture and governance at RTÉ, commissioned by Culture Minister Catherine Martin, are expected by the end of this month.

Martin said government leaders “agree we need to resolve this in terms of the (funding) model” but cautioned that this “will take time”.

He added that the license fee will be a “significant revenue earner for RTÉ” this year and probably into next year “until a new system is bedded down”.

Martin said he hopes a decision will be made by the summer recess but noted that it will “take time to work that system through and to have it fully up and running”.

“We need to put in guardrails because the new funding arrangements are not just about RTÉ, but also about other stations, local and national, and print media,” said Martin.

“This is very key to the survival of our democracy, we’ve got to get it right and we’ve got to get the fundamentals right.”