Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am glad that RTÉ journalists are better at getting answers than their management is at giving them. Otherwise, the "Six One News" in the evening would last for about four minutes. It is unacceptable for a public service broadcaster, which is largely funded through the compulsory contributions of households, to evade benign and understandable questions from this committee. As Deputy Munster said, it is unthinkable that we now know, after a great deal of toing and froing, that RTÉ made a settlement with the Revenue Commissioners, but it has not indicated exactly how much that was. That is not good enough and I agree with Deputy Munster's proposal that we write to RTÉ again and that we do not let this issue drop until we a get a full engagement.

As regards the proposition that we put to RTÉ with regard to the fact that the BBC is publishing a register that outlines the external events undertaken by its on-air staff, that is a welcome development on the part of the BBC. It ensures that the integrity of public service broadcasting is maintained into the future. We asked RTÉ about its plans in this regard and, essentially, it is referring to confidentiality again. RTÉ loves confidentiality, but confidentiality precludes it from disclosing this. It made no reference as to whether it will even consider this in the future. I suggest that in our follow-up correspondence we ask RTÉ whether this will form a basis of future deliberations. I do not mind a situation where an organisation has examined the potential for increased transparency and, for one reason or another, decides that it cannot be pursued, but in the case of RTÉ it appears that whenever there is even a suggestion of increased transparency and accountability, the natural reaction is simply to say that it cannot or will not be done. That is not good enough. In our follow-up correspondence we should ask RTÉ whether it plans to give consideration to this type of mechanism in its future contracts.