Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We will go back to the price Mr. Bakhurst is talking about. He made a statement earlier that no laws were broken. Last year, 13,000 people were brought to court for non-payment of their TV licence. Those people faced €1,000 fines and all of them would have had a ruling made against them. Some of them faced the possibility of going to jail for a limited period of perhaps a few hours or whatever. In this case, we have people who received hundreds of thousands of euro. These are the same people who squandered millions of euro.

If we total up those 13,000 licence fees that were not paid, it comes to just under €2.1 million. At the same time, people left RTÉ with massive packages who had squandered €2.2 million or €2.3 million on Toy Show The Musical. People wasted millions of euro that could not be accounted for and which was not signed off and who, having listened to what we heard today, made decisions with no accountability, no transparency and no responsibility. At the same time, people who are struggling to pay their bills are being dragged through the courts. Mr. Bakhurst made the point that no laws were broken. Who said no laws were broken? Did the board go to the Garda? It was said that RTÉ got legal advice but at the same time other people were going to court. We must have accountability.

I am aware that Mr. Bakhurst is trying to manage this situation since he came in. I respect everyone for coming here today because other people have not come here today and have not come to other meetings. I know some have health reasons and I respect that but the witnesses today have come in. I respect that. The people I represent are struggling to pay bills and then they are faced with a bill for €160 or court. A person contacted me last Friday who said the television licence man had called to his house and said he would be back in three weeks, so that had better make sure they had their licence then. Yet we have people in RTÉ who went out the door with hundreds of thousands of euro. What do we say to the ordinary person out there who is watching proceedings today or who will read about this?