Ms Breda O'Keeffe:

I am the former chief financial officer, CFO, of RTÉ. I held that role from September 2012 to February 2020. I left RTÉ's employment at the end of March 2020, more than three years ago. I document here the facts based on my recollections of events relating to the following matters. First, the top talent negotiation process during my tenure as CFO. Second, the Ryan Tubridy contract negotiation process for the 2020 to 2025 contract period. Third, the top talent earnings disclosures process during my tenure as CFO. Fourth, the top talent earnings disclosures process for the years 2017 to 2019, and the barter account.

On a point of clarification, the current CFO joined RTÉ in January 2020 and formally took over from me the responsibilities of the CFO role in February 2020. I continued to be involved in certain aspects of RTÉ finances during the period from January to March 2020, including Mr. Tubridy’s contract negotiations. I provided a comprehensive handover to the CFO during the period from January to late March 2020 on all aspects of the CFO role including the top talent negotiation process and all aspects of Mr. Tubridy’s contract negotiations to that point. Following my departure in March 2020, I was not contacted by the RTE CFO or any other personnel on any matter. I was not invited to contribute to the Grant Thornton report, which was presented to the audit and risk committee on Friday, 16 June 2023, and nor have I seen the report. I was not consulted or asked to comment on any aspect of RTÉ’s statement made on 27 June 2023. As a formal correction for the committee records of last week’s meeting, I believe the CFO was incorrect in his recollection that he was only in the CFO role for three days when the release of top talent earnings for 2017 to 2019 were released on 20 January 2021. The CFO was in office since January 2020.

I now turn to the top talent negotiations process during my tenure as CFO.

All top talent contract negotiations involved the director general, DG, the CFO, the head of content and the RTÉ internal solicitor at all stages of the negotiations. The head of news and current affairs was only involved if news and current affairs presenters were involved. The director general was not involved on a day-to-day basis in this process.

As CFO, I worked side by side with the RTÉ internal solicitor on the renewal of talent contracts. Contracts coming up for renewal were discussed at meetings held between the director general, CFO, head of content, head of news and current affairs, if required, and RTÉ solicitor to agree the parameters for the contract renewal. This group would decide on the broad parameters of the deal. As CFO, I and the RTÉ solicitor were then tasked with negotiation of contract renewal with the agent or presenter based on the agreed parameters.

Meetings were arranged with the agent or presenter between me and the RTÉ solicitor and offers were made in the meetings and were followed up by email detailing the meeting discussions. All draft contracts were prepared by the RTÉ solicitor and reviewed by both me and the head of content before they were issued. The head of content was updated and involved throughout the negotiation process and, in many cases, the presenter's agent spoke to the head of content directly around contract terms to assist in progressing the negotiations.

As CFO, I briefed the director general on the commercial terms of each contract before finalisation. Final contract terms and conditions were then agreed with the agent or presenter and the final contract was drafted by the RTÉ solicitor, which was reviewed by the CFO and by the head of content. My recollection is that final contracts were signed by the head of content or head of news and current affairs as applicable, and the DG was advised. A copy of the final contract was retained by me as CFO and the RTÉ solicitor and also sent to the head of content and head of news and current affairs, if appropriate.