Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

A number of Deputies mentioned the role of the Comptroller and Auditor General. As Deputy Connolly rightly pointed out, the current Broadcasting Act and the Comptroller and Auditor General (Amendment) Act 1993 would need to be amended to send the Comptroller and Auditor General in to audit RTÉ. This could well be a recommendation of the report as part of the examination that is being done or the interim report of the expert governance advisory committee. I would be open to considering that and bringing that for discussion with my Cabinet colleagues if that is indeed a recommendation.

I was asked if I would bring the interim or full reports from the examination of RTÉ before the Oireachtas. I am committed to full transparency and if and when it is appropriate to bring these matters to Oireachtas hearings as part of the work, I am absolutely happy to do so.

Long-term funding was raised by a number of Deputies. I indicated when I announced this review last Saturday that the Government had paused the decision on the reform of the TV licence until the examination of RTÉ is complete and findings are considered. That remains appropriate. Any decision needs to be made in an environment of trust. We need to establish that trust and that means bottoming out on all the issues and having a process to prevent recurrence. The pause is only on the decision and I think the discussions should still take place. I was at a senior level of those discussions, which were at an advanced stage, before this issue emerged.

In my meeting this Friday with the chair and incoming director general, I will again emphasise to them in person the absolute necessity to fully co-operate with all reviews taking place. It is critical that we now restore trust and confidence in RTÉ. Transparency on all matters is critical at this juncture and I expect RTÉ, its board and executive to take all necessary measures to ensure this.

There was a query about the Grant Thornton review. I have asked for that review, which we were told last week would take four weeks, to be accelerated. I am now advised that it is running ahead of schedule and am assured that all concerned understand the urgency of it and that it needs to be completed as soon as possible. It is running ahead of schedule now.

We need a comprehensive accounting of the fundamental causes of the failures we have seen in RTÉ, full clarity on all issues and clear recommendations to prevent their recurrence in the future. In the midst of this crisis, there is an opportunity here for RTÉ to rediscover the values and ideals on which it was founded and to restore a robust, accountable and transparent corporate governance framework and an open and reformed organisation culture. I know that is something everybody in this House would support and I look forward to updating the Oireachtas on the progress and the examination in the coming months.

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