Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their appearance. At a time when we have the greatest housing catastrophe in the history of our State, we have overspending in our Department of Health and there are no checks and balances, billions have been wasted annually. We have a Government that displays complete incompetence in the management of the public finances. This story comes out of a clear blue sky – manna from heaven to distract from the issues that really impact ordinary daily lives. The Government is delighted with this story because it has taken the spotlight from it on the run-up to the Dáil recess.

I have watched the rolling media brawl for nearly the last week and a half. I must admit that I have some experience with media brawl. It is clear that this media circus can be reduced to the following facts. Certain people within RTÉ conceived a scheme of deceit for a number of reasons: first, to retain the services of Ryan Tubridy; and second, to portray to the general public and to the staff of RTÉ that Tubridy had taken a pay cut. The public, certain staff at RTÉ and this committee were lied to.

No checks and balances in any system will prevent deceit and that is just a fact of life. With a large organisation such as RTÉ, people run for cover and they immediately look for a scapegoat, or scapegoats, as the case may be. In what would appear to me generally is the case, those who identified the scapegoats were quite often themselves the cause of the controversy. The act of deceit is only surpassed by the more despicable act of scapegoating. Never have I seen more obvious scapegoating than in this debacle. RTÉ conceived the scheme of the deceit and induced Ryan Tubridy, whom I do not know personally, nor do I know his family nor any of the other people who have been mentioned in relation to Ryan Tubridy, with a pay package to stay. A number of members have confirmed this week that there was no wrongdoing on Ryan Tubridy's part. The people in front of us effectively dismissed Dee Forbes and then issued a lengthy press release scapegoating her. The quality of management should be judged by the way they deal with the situations they find themselves in. I can assure those present that what I have heard today and yesterday and for the last week would indicate to me that this management does not have the skill set to deal with what is before them. All they have done is look for scapegoats.

While RTÉ says Ryan Tubridy did nothing wrong, its actions do not support that position. Tubridy no longer presents his programme. In my view, the act of taking Ryan Tubridy off air was wrong. It has compounded the controversy, while at the same time it destroyed his reputation, in the scapegoating. It was ill advised and should only have been done with the approval of the board. It is as plain as a pikestaff to any person with a modicum of common sense that this act will cost RTÉ, and of course the taxpayer, far more in compensation to Tubridy than the €150,000 we are talking about that was legally due anyway. The bill for the action will have to be delivered at some point in the future.

I have one question for this delegation. Who made the decision to take Ryan Tubridy off air, bearing in mind the continuous statements that he did nothing wrong? I assume that one of two people can answer that question, because it certainly was not anyone who is not here.