Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)

That is my second point. Even when it is published it will be two years out of date on this issue. I am not saying the star performers should be paid on the basis of how much advertising revenue they can bring in, because that would be the road to hell. However, because of how the advertising structure works, the programmes with the higher ratings can charge more for advertising, and the programmes with the high ratings tend to have the star performers. We know this because Mr. Cathal Goan has explained it to us. There is a correlation and we must recognise that.

Some of the big performers have recognised it in the sense that they have accepted a reduction in pay. That should be much more the way to go in terms of fairness within the structures of RTE. Other than that, people feel very alienated by what is going on. The Minister says he agrees with me on the culture; it is up to him to ensure we do something practical to get the right outcome.

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