Ms Katherine Licken:

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach agus le comhaltaí an choiste as an deis a thabhairt dom an ráiteas seo a dhéanamh. Public service broadcasting, as has been reiterated on numerous occasions in the last week, plays a critical role in informing, educating and entertaining the public. Critically also, it holds to account those in positions of responsibility and power. It is also frequently at the forefront in tackling misinformation. That is why, as the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, and her colleagues in government have repeatedly emphasised over the past week, there is a need for RTÉ to show appropriate leadership and give a full account of all of the circumstances that led to the making of these payments and the understatement of earnings.

The Department is working intensively to support the Minister in ensuring that the governance structures and culture that enabled this issue to arise, are comprehensively addressed. In that regard, the Department and the Minister are engaging with RTÉ on the steps it is taking to deal with the matter in order to provide full clarification on all aspects of these transactions, including the timely completion of the Grant Thornton review into the payments between 2017 and 2019.

The Department is also working intensively with the Minister on the development of the terms of reference of the external review into governance and culture at RTÉ, which the Minister announced in recent days. This review will focus on whether RTÉ's governance framework is fit for purpose and in line with best governance practice in commercial Stater bodies, taking account of broadcasting legislation, the requirements of the code of practice for the governance of State bodies and the findings from the various Grant Thornton reviews commissioned by RTÉ. The review will also consider RTÉ's organisational culture, the impact that culture has had on levels of trust, governance, transparency and communications, and what changes should be made. As part of this process, the Department is supporting the Minister in her engagement with key stakeholders, including representatives from the National Union of Journalists and Screen Producers Ireland, with whom we met yesterday. The details of the terms of reference are currently being finalised and will be published once they are approved by the Government.

As I have said, public service broadcasting is critical to the proper functioning of our society. RTÉ plays a central role in that regard. It is in the interests of us all that the issues at RTÉ are addressed in a comprehensive and effective manner. As the Minister has stated, the organisation has been badly damaged by the revelations over the past week. It is vital that public confidence in RTÉ is restored. I thank the committee for allowing me to make this statement. I am happy to answer any questions members have.