Mr. David Harvey:

I found it very troubling at the outset that information was presented on a monthly basis as a fait accompli. I did not think there was a culture of discussion or interrogation. That is the way I felt. I also felt, in particular in terms of things I was prepared to let time their way out because I knew there would be a new administration running the company, that there was no point in shouting into a canyon where I might not be listened to. Other board members felt the same as I did about this.

It is regrettable that we have got to a stage whereby we are having meetings like this. There was a fantastic meeting a few months ago where we talked about the future strategy of the company. People were examining the issue that RTÉ is in a rapidly changing media landscape and has not been able to react as quickly as other companies or react in a way as to make the media landscape more relevant to younger audiences in particular. Its revenue base has suffered and now its revenue basis is suffering in a different way.

There are moves afoot. I have every confidence in the programming side. When we get around to it, I think we will have a proper sales approach in the company. The finances have been taken in hand. There is good leadership at board level. The chair and the chief executive are excellent. RTÉ has a good fighting chance, provided that we get a funding structure in place and know what the product is and what the company is going forward. They are all critical.