Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Bringing RTÉ under the Comptroller and Auditor General is long overdue. Today, Deputy Ó Snodaigh, Eoghan Finn in his office and the Sinn Féin members on the Committee of Public Accounts have presented legislation that the Government should have introduced years ago. I have been calling since last July for RTÉ's exemption from the State audit to be removed to allow the Comptroller and Auditor General to carry out audits, as it currently does with TG4. It has been a continuous line of mixed messages and flip-flopping from Government as the RTÉ scandals turn into a saga. It should not have taken yet more revelations of mismanagement at RTÉ to emerge for the Government to be forced into this position. Only two weeks ago, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, in the Minister's seat, categorically ruled out the Comptroller and Auditor General taking control of RTÉ in light of the events happening at the time. Now we have reports that the Government is finally considering this obvious step. Today, we present the opportunity to introduce accountability, transparency and oversight to ensure that public money is not wasted and squandered. That is the very least that hard-working people in this country can expect.

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