Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It changed after that. That might explain Ms Forbes' opening statement, because it certainly does not look at value for money. I appreciate the opening statement, and I actually share her concerns about the challenges facing RTÉ, which I will come back to. However, it really does not address what we are here about. Certainly in a personal capacity, let me say that I want to support RTÉ. Public broadcasting is absolutely an essential tool of any democracy, so let me preface all my comments with that.

However, there is also a duty on the public broadcaster to show that they are providing value for money. That is certainly not jumping out of Ms Forbes' opening statement. Maybe she was more concerned about telling the committee RTÉ's difficulties but it would be easier to address those difficulties if we saw the value for money. Before I ask a few questions, on a personal level, I certainly do not think the top presenters, the vast majority of whom are men, deserve that money. I have just done a quick count of the women listed. I think it is something that RTÉ should look at. I think the broadcaster has a very important role in providing a different voice and a different ear. As it is statutorily obliged to do that under the 2009 Act, there is huge scope to be different, instead of falling into the traditional market idea that we have to pay the top price, particularly for men. I do not think it is justified, that is just a comment.

I had a question about the review but I think the witnesses have partly answered it. Is the review due to be completed at the end of this month?