Report queries €4m paid to top-up salaries of 760 RTÉ staff

A major investigation into RTÉ’s finances has called for an urgent review of almost €4m worth of allowances paid to staff in addition to their salaries.

An expert advisory committee established by Media Minister Catherine Martin to examine governance and culture at the public service broadcaster found 760 staff members are in receipt of allowances which totalled €3.9m in 2022.

In a damning finding for Montrose management, the review raised serious concerns with the number, purpose and criteria for allocating allowances, which it says “lacks clarity and in some cases justification”.

The allowances include payments to staff for long service, acting up in senior roles and what are described in the report as a “role-related allowance”. The report also found allowances can vary from permanent to temporary payments and can apply to entire sections, or on an individual basis to certain staff members.

The committee also recommended that anyone earning over €200,000 should have their salary published, along with details of gifts, hospitality and expenses incurred. A separate report on the controversial barter account used to pay for tickets, dinners and even flip-flops was created on the basis of a verbal agreement between former RTÉ director general Dee Forbes and senior executives in the commercial department.

Ms Forbes has refused to cooperate with any of the reviews into her time as director general, citing an on-going illness as preventing her from answering questions.

​The expert advisory committee report, which is to be published after Catherine Martin brings it to Cabinet this week, will say 1,068 allowances are paid to 760 RTÉ staff across nine different categories.

Of the 760 employees in receipt of allowances, 517 were in receipt of just one allowance, while the remaining 243 were in receipt of more than one.

The cost of the allowances was €3.8m in 2021, but that increased to €3.9m in 2022.

The report said the allowances were all subject to approval by RTÉ management, and in the majority of case were agreed during pay talks with the unions representing staff.

The expert committee noted that RTÉ intends to review the allowances paid to staff through negotiations with employees and unions.

It said this will allow for “the creation of clear and transparent principles to govern the application of allowances, outside of which no other allowances should be paid.”

Among the 90 recommendations being made by the expert committee is a proposal for RTÉ to be put under the remit of Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG).

This would require the introduction of legislation to allow the C&AG audit the broadcaster and see the public interest responsibility extended beyond the RTÉ board.

It would also require the RTÉ director general to appear before the Public Accounts Committee to take questions from politicians on how taxpayers’ money is spent.

The reports into RTÉ’s finances and governance were ordered by the media minister in the wake of the multiple controversies surrounding payments to former Late Late Show host Ryan Tubridy.

Once published, the Government’s focus will shift towards how to fund the embattled public service broadcaster. There is an long-running debate among the Coalition partners on whether to ditch the current licence-fee-funded model and move to direct funding from the Exchequer.

However it is now more likely that a reduced licence fee, collected by the Revenue Commissioners and supplemented by Exchequer funding, will be the new model underpinning RTÉ into the future.

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