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

Many different things need to be taken into account when considering these matters. The cost of pensions for retired public servants is extremely high, if you think about it. They receive half their salary for the rest of their lives. When it comes to saving money and so on, all of that needs to be borne in mind. The same thing goes for redundancy and dismissal. All these things need to be examined.

For exactly that reason, the Government yesterday agreed to proposals to initiate a root-and-branch examination. This will comprise two elements: an independent review to examine the governance structures and organisational culture of RTÉ, overseen by an expert governance advisory committee; and an independent review to examine the mechanisms by which external contractors are engaged, the fees paid and the use of agents and other HR matters in RTÉ, all of which the Deputy mentioned, which will be overseen by an expert advisory committee on contractor fees and HR matters. In addition, the Minister is invoking her powers under the Broadcasting Act to appoint a forensic accountant to examine the accounts of RTÉ. The initial focus of the forensic accountant will be on the barter accounts and any other off-balance sheet accounts. We expect to have that person in place next week.

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