Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Okay. I thank members for those contributions. I will be clear that this has dragged on over the summer period and it is something that should have been sorted out a lot sooner. We have tried to engage and resolve this matter but in the absence of the key witness, the former director general - and I am not making any judgment on that but the facts are she is not able to attend and is not here - this raises the importance of the notes of that meeting. I find the description of a legal advice unusual. First of all it was legally privileged and then it was resiled from that position. I find legal advice even unusual in the context of a third party, the actual party they were negotiating with, being present at that meeting. They would be very unusual circumstances in which to get legal advice. Maybe there is legal advice in the note but it is very unusual circumstances in which to get legal advice. If there was legal advice given as part of that meeting, and it is in part of that note, it is diluted to the point of being like low-fat milk at this stage. It is useless because it is already compromised by the fact that other parties were present and are aware of what the legal advice was.

In summary, during the discussion, RTÉ has shown some willingness to engage. Its representatives need to be clearer that this is not something that will drag out beyond the middle of next week. We are absolutely clear as a committee that this needs to be sorted out and sorted out fairly soon. RTÉ representatives have until close of business on Monday to respond to it. What they are responding to is that the offer that has been put forward to us is not acceptable in its current form. If they want to send us a summary, that is fair enough but we want to be able to use that or publish any part of it we see fit. We want the original note without redactions for this committee to see in private as we do every week. We see private documents every week such as these ones here which never see the light of day once the meeting is over. We reserve the right to use the information and evidence gathered in our reports. This is full and final. There will not be any other opportunities. This is the minimum we have to do to uphold the constitutional position of this committee and our duty is to report to the Houses of the Oireachtas and indeed that the public see that being done. If everybody is happy, we will proceed on that basis. Is that agreed? Agreed. I thank members for their co-operation with that.

We will move on to the minutes of the meeting of 26 October 2023, which have been circulated to members. Is everybody happy that they are accurate? Does any member wish to raise any matter in relation to the minutes? I take those minutes as agreed and they will be published on the committee's webpage.

Moving on to No. 2, accounts and financial statements. Seven sets of accounts and financial statements were laid before the Houses between 23 October and 3 November 2023. I will ask the Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr. Seamus McCarthy, to address these before opening the floor up to members.