Ms Emma O'Kelly:

I thank Deputy O'Sullivan. The summer was devastating for staff and very upsetting but it was also like a dam bursting because we were very aware of what was going on in RTÉ for a long time before that. As I said, out of the glare of the media, nobody seemed that interested but we were fighting internally in RTÉ on a number of fronts and we did not feel we were being listened to. In the summer, when all this broke, it was like a dam bursting for us. It was upsetting.

When we spoke out during the summer, I could speak as chair of the broadcasting branch but other colleagues of mine came forward very bravely and spoke just in their personal capacities. We all hoped - this is why a lot of us spoke out - that this would be a catalyst for change, that it would lead to improvements and that, finally, some of the issues that we had been railing against for so long would be addressed. As the Deputy said, it is almost a year on and our concern is that while there have been some welcome changes, we still feel that we are flailing and getting nowhere.

I have to bring the discussion back to funding. It is a daily struggle in RTÉ. In the newsroom where I work, we struggle still. We struggle to do our jobs. We cannot get the most basic equipment. Going into the newsroom, it is sometimes like a lottery as to which printer is working. I will ask whether printer 42 is working today and will be told it is not and to try 71 but that printer will not be working either. These are the things we face.

Our crews are driving old cars with no satnav. The building we work in is falling apart. It is a listed building. It is part of our national heritage, but it has not been invested in for years. Months on, we are still in the same bind as we were over the summer. At this stage, we urge the committee to do all it can to address the issue of funding - the model of funding and the level of funding.