Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

When the Minister gave her speech here today, she said that she wanted RTÉ to be "independent and accountable". We all know they are neither independent nor accountable. It is not fully the Minister's fault, as successive Government have neglected to deal with RTÉ because it suited them. More and more in the past while, and especially during Covid, RTÉ became just a total mouthpiece for the Government narrative. It has not changed. This is why the Minister and her Government colleagues will not take them on, will not sort them out, and will not deal with them. It is just not believable.

I reiterate today in the Dáil that I have sympathy and great respect for the thousands of staff members who are doing their jobs every day throughout the country within RTÉ. The cabal at the top has been there for a long time and its members will not listen to anyone. They do not care about the Minister because they know she has been dancing and will dance to their tune. Successive Ministers and Governments have also danced to their merry tune as it suits them. It suits the Minister to drift on.

The Minister, Deputy Martin, has told us of the two reports that will be ready in March. In her speech the Minister also told us that Mazars - the well-known financial company - was looking at the finances forensically. I remember a scandal here with Mazars and the HSE. It was a massive scandal involving Mazars. Deloitte and Touche was in as the RTÉ auditor but failed to see anything. A blind man would see what was going on in there. It failed to see it and yet it was reappointed. The Minister said at a previous committee that it would take 18 months to recruit new people. It is a cosy circle and the cabal has extended. It is a cosy cartel of a cabal. The issue with money has been going on for decades. When I came in here in 2007 we found out that the wages paid to the top people at that time were a staggering €800,000-plus. There is €20 million put away in a fund in order that it can settle with the taxman. There are five of us here in the Rural Independent Group who are self-employed people. We would love the benefit of being able to put away money and talk to the taxman when we decide whether workers are bogus self-employed or not. No other company, sole trader or PAYE worker would get any such latitude.

Why is the Minister's Government protecting RTÉ; the sacred cow out in Montrose? Why is Revenue being held off from doing its business and doing its job in dealing with them? Why not send in the fraud squad, which I called for on 1 July last year when this first broke? No, the Minister is protecting them and doing report after report like everything else. The Government has a sad legacy such as the massive overspend on the new children's hospital and the issues around broadband roll-out - you name it. This, however, beats them all. This situation is being enabled by the cabal. The cabal is expanding and the mire gets deeper and deeper. I have a feeling it will bring down the Government before very long because there is such an endemic rot there at the very top; not with ordinary level people. Ms Doherty, the former director general, Ms Forbes, and all those people must be brought in - be it through a subpoena or however else - and be held accountable. I do not believe the Minister or her Government have the energy to tackle it.

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