Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

RTÉ is a public body. It is also a semi-State or State-owned enterprise. A set of salary caps apply in State-owned enterprises and there is a code of practice for commercial semi-States as to how they are supposed to operate. We will have to establish very quickly whether any of the caps that exist were broken and whether the code of practice for commercial semi-States was breached.

The use of contractors and consultants is done in the public, private and semi-State sectors. There are advantages and disadvantages both for the body and the individuals involved. For example, one matter that does not arise if somebody is a contractor or consultant are pension liabilities. We do not have to pay their pensions when they retire. We do not have to pay redundancy, for example.

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