Results 1,141-1,160 of 5,659 for speaker:Thomas Gould

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Feb 2024)

Thomas Gould: The Government must scrap the TV licence and support public service media through direct Exchequer funding. This was recommended in the report of the Future of Media Commission. There has been a loss of confidence in the wake of the scandals in RTÉ and this loss has not been helped by this week's additional scandals and announcements regarding the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, the...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Oversight of RTÉ's Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues and Plans for Longer-term Support and Funding for Public Service Media: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (27 Feb 2024)

Thomas Gould: Thank you, Minister, and your staff. I know it has been a long evening and I appreciate your honesty. I also put on the record Siún Ní Raghallaigh's commitment and what she has given to RTÉ in 15 months. I do not know her personally, but listening to people talk about the lady she seems a person of great integrity and honesty who did her very best to bring transparency to...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Oversight of RTÉ's Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues and Plans for Longer-term Support and Funding for Public Service Media: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (27 Feb 2024)

Thomas Gould: On the expert advisory committee, you said you hope to have their reports in March. Will there be a commitment given, following those reports in March, that we will finally get a decision on the TV licence and funding and having RTÉ under the public accounts committee? Will that be given in March and not kicked down the road? As you have said, previous governments have kicked this...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (27 Feb 2024)

Thomas Gould: 260. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to outline the complaints procedure with Irish Water; and the process for escalating such a complaint. [8634/24]

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Oversight of RTÉ's Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues and Plans for Longer-term Support and Funding for Public Service Media: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (27 Feb 2024)

Thomas Gould: If you have the reports in March, how long will it take? There is a large number of reports now. We have the Future of Media Commission report, which recommends the abolition of the TV licence. It also recommends that RTÉ would come under the control of the Comptroller and Auditor General and the public accounts committee. Will you give that commitment, or are you going to let Fianna...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Oversight of RTÉ's Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues and Plans for Longer-term Support and Funding for Public Service Media: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (27 Feb 2024)

Thomas Gould: Okay. Deputy Ó Murchú went through the timeline. Between 7.30 p.m. and 9.30 p.m., was there any more communication or anything else happening before you went on "Prime Time".

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Oversight of RTÉ's Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues and Plans for Longer-term Support and Funding for Public Service Media: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (27 Feb 2024)

Thomas Gould: I listened to the way Deputy Ó Murchú forensically went through the timeline. I have never heard the amount of phone calls and contacts between chairpersons, former chairpersons, assistant secretaries general and former Secretaries General. Last Thursday was crazy. For you then to make a decision to go on national television knowing everything that was happening, why did you not...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Oversight of RTÉ's Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues and Plans for Longer-term Support and Funding for Public Service Media: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (27 Feb 2024)

Thomas Gould: By the time the Minister went on "Prime Time" on Thursday night, had the Minister discussed what had happened on Thursday with any of the party leaders? Had she told them that she was going on national television and obviously this was going to come up? Did she not discuss that with the party leaders?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Oversight of RTÉ's Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues and Plans for Longer-term Support and Funding for Public Service Media: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (27 Feb 2024)

Thomas Gould: The Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Minister for Transport all knew this was breaking and that the Minister was going on-----

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Oversight of RTÉ's Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues and Plans for Longer-term Support and Funding for Public Service Media: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (27 Feb 2024)

Thomas Gould: I do not mean to put the Minister under pressure, but I am going through the timeline. She said earlier that on the 7.30 p.m. call, RTÉ had been contacted to say that revelations were breaking at another media organisation. Is that true? What time did that happen?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Oversight of RTÉ's Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues and Plans for Longer-term Support and Funding for Public Service Media: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (27 Feb 2024)

Thomas Gould: My point is if that happened at 4.30 p.m. and the Minister was going on "Prime Time" at 9.30 p.m., that was five hours later. There were a number of calls before and after that and the leaders were not notified that this was happening. I just-----

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Oversight of RTÉ's Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues and Plans for Longer-term Support and Funding for Public Service Media: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (27 Feb 2024)

Thomas Gould: I watched "Prime Time" on Thursday night and then I turned over to "The Tonight Show" because for political people it was gripping viewing. I sincerely felt sorry for the chairperson, Siún Ní Raghallaigh, because I knew the first time the Minister was asked whether she had confidence that that lady was gone. I have only been a TD for four years, but I knew that. Surely the...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Oversight of RTÉ's Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues and Plans for Longer-term Support and Funding for Public Service Media: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (27 Feb 2024)

Thomas Gould: We are playing around with words. The Minister knew last Thursday evening. Ms Ní Raghallaigh had let the Minister know that if she sent a letter, she would probably resign, or that she was considering doing so, and the Minister still sent a letter at 7.30 p.m., two hours before going live. I do not think there was a need for the letter to be sent at 7.30 p.m. If it was going to be...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Oversight of RTÉ's Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues and Plans for Longer-term Support and Funding for Public Service Media: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (27 Feb 2024)

Thomas Gould: From what I can see, the Minister did not have confidence in the chair on Thursday. She wrote to the chair looking for a meeting. At that meeting on Friday, if she had turned up, the Minister was going to tell her she was disappointed. From what I can see and from listening to the Minister's comments, she did not have confidence in the chair. Surely the Minister should have given her the...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Oversight of RTÉ's Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues and Plans for Longer-term Support and Funding for Public Service Media: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (27 Feb 2024)

Thomas Gould: I will ask one more small question. Last week I asked the director general, Kevin Bakhurst-----

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Oversight of RTÉ's Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues and Plans for Longer-term Support and Funding for Public Service Media: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (27 Feb 2024)

Thomas Gould: Everyone has got fair-----

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Oversight of RTÉ's Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues and Plans for Longer-term Support and Funding for Public Service Media: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (27 Feb 2024)

Thomas Gould: I have one last question.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Oversight of RTÉ's Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues and Plans for Longer-term Support and Funding for Public Service Media: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (27 Feb 2024)

Thomas Gould: It is a tiny one. Last week I asked the director general, Kevin Bakhurst, whether a person who resigns gets a payment. With all the officials the Minister has and all the comings and goings in RTÉ in recent months, did no one think of asking that question?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Oversight of RTÉ's Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues and Plans for Longer-term Support and Funding for Public Service Media: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (27 Feb 2024)

Thomas Gould: If a person resigns, do they get a payout?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Oversight of RTÉ's Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues and Plans for Longer-term Support and Funding for Public Service Media: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (27 Feb 2024)

Thomas Gould: It would not happen in the private sector.