Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 12 June 2024

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media

Engagement with Chairperson to the Board of RTÉ

Mr. Terence O'Rourke:

I think the culture is changing. There is a lot of work done and more to go as I think the Senator said. We recognise that what happened last year cannot happen again and we will do whatever we need to do. There are even things like the town hall meetings.

There have been more town hall meetings in the past four months than there were in the past five years or something. It is that kind of thing. It is that engagement with staff and that openness between the board and management. We get all the interim leadership team, ILT, minutes. The ILT meets with the board frequently. All the board committees report fully to the board. That culture of openness, transparency and making sure that nothing is hidden is very much alive now, and I believe that was not the way in the past. People on the board longer than me said that there are changes afoot. Already, those things are happening. Culture comes from the top as well, so the way that Kevin Bakhurst and his team behave will be an important way of getting the messages down and making sure that is cascaded on through the organisation. I am happy it is changing. It will not change overnight. It is a job of work to be done but we are on the right road.