Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 28 May 2025
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport
Policy, Governance, Expenditure and Administration at RTÉ: Discussion
2:00 am
Micheál Carrigy (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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The witnesses are all very welcome. I think of the words "Groundhog Day". We are back here again after a couple of years. I was a member of the previous committee, along with Deputy Malcolm Byrne. Mr. Bakhurst has just made a comment about this never happening again. We were told a number of years ago that this would not happen again. It took a news agency and a letter of correspondence from the Minister to find out about the significant write-down, with repayments of €2.7 million and €1.1 million to the Revenue Commissioners. Mr. Bakhurst made the point in his opening statement that this information is being given, with regard to the Revenue Commissioners, as a reflection of the higher standards of transparency. We should have transparency at all times. Over a number of hearings we had here a number of years ago, trying to elicit information from the organisation was like trying to pull teeth at times. That is continuing. It is not acceptable for an organisation that is funded by the taxpayer.