Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

The organisation was aware of this for three months but it has yet to explain how money was paid between 2017 and 2019. That is where the questions arise. It gives me no pleasure to stand here and criticise RTÉ. It is an organisation that has been responsible for excellent public service broadcasting. The vast majority of its staff are modestly paid and work incredibly hard but this saga has tainted the organisation. Trust with the public and its staff has been shattered, the Government and the Opposition have been misled and incorrect information about salaries was knowingly published and we still do not know why. We do not even know how the payments were made. If RTÉ wants to recover from this, it must be transparent and there must be accountability. This must happen quickly. We are a week into this now. RTÉ has known for three months. The longer it takes for the detail to emerge, the more damaging it will be. All of those centrally involved, including Dee Forbes, must appear at the Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media and the Committee of Public Accounts to answer questions about what they knew.

We have yet to see the board's statement that will be published this afternoon. Has the Taoiseach or the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Martin, had sight of that statement? When can we expect to see the terms of reference for the Minister's review of culture and governance in RTÉ?

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