Results 6,081-6,100 of 7,556 for speaker:Catherine Martin

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Catherine Martin: The group approached me last week and asked for that to be extended. From its investigation, that is something that needs to be seen to be done. The original terms of reference had the off-balance sheet items from 2017 to 2022, but now they are looking for that to be extended. That is on foot of a request from the expert advisory committee on governance and culture. I trust that this is...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Catherine Martin: The problem with the barter account has been the operation of it. We can clearly see that it was not operating in the way it should have been. That is why the forensic accountant is looking to expand the terms of reference because they are going to go back to the very origins of it in 2012, rather than just dealing with the period from 2017. There are certainly question marks over the...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Catherine Martin: The use of a barter account is something that is the norm. It is how it was operated that is highly problematic. I agree with the Deputy that the recommendations definitely have to be watertight. They need to be robust if they are to remain in place. We, the Oireachtas, have to have full confidence, and the public has to regain full confidence, so it must be clear that if the barter...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Catherine Martin: Another failing of RTÉ was the lack of engagement with staff and the unions. That engagement has definitely improved under the new director general's watch and he will certainly consult them on the future strategy. I will be meeting him this week. At all times when I have met the director general since he took up his position in July, I have emphasised the need for trust to be rebuilt...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Catherine Martin: There are two issues here, namely, the interim funding and the future funding model. For the latter, the longer package, we will have to await the recommendations of the two independent expert groups I have set up, and I think that is the way it should be in case they identify something not in the strategic vision, for example, that we have all missed because they are undertaking such a...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Catherine Martin: I acknowledge it is difficult to hear this but I simply cannot reveal that until it has been discussed with my Cabinet colleagues. The working group was set up to seek alternatives to that recommendation for Exchequer funding that was in the Future of Media Commission report, so it was looking at a strengthening of what was there. I know I have had it since March and I had hoped to seek a...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Catherine Martin: The first step of that will be what is decided in the budget. As I said, we will look to the Future of Media Commission recommendation, which was for €50 million last year, and there is a commitment of €16 million this year, so it is-----

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Catherine Martin: I will need to see the strategic plan before we decide on anything above the Future of Media Commission recommendations. My colleagues and I, and I think all the committee members, would accept that we will need to see a strategic vision and RTÉ’s plan for reform and cost efficiencies before anything else is given.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Catherine Martin: The plan will be shown to us at a high level in October and we will then see the exact timelines and how it will be implemented. The bottom line is we need to make sure RTÉ can continue to produce and provide a high-quality public service to the people, but I have to be careful in that, under the legislation, we cannot impinge on its editorial independence. Nevertheless, we expect it...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Catherine Martin: That will absolutely be protected under legislation. RTÉ has an obligation in that regard to independent productions. I spoke to the unit at a meeting in the past ten days or so and allayed the staff's fears about that.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Catherine Martin: We will have to see what comes from the recommendations of the expert advisory group. It is a dual-funded model. This could be a recommendation from the expert advisory group. As I said, everything is-----

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Catherine Martin: I will lean to whatever the expert advisory group recommends. Its members are the experts. That is why they are in place. They are independent, and it is critical that they have that independence.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Catherine Martin: There is editorial independence involved, and it is not for me to interfere. What I will say is that some of the cost efficiencies the director general pointed to that day would be quite minimal in the grander scheme of where savings need to be made. I am looking for bigger savings than that. To be honest with the Senator, it is on a much grander scale.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Catherine Martin: It is dependent on the Government decision, but this was pointed to in the Future of Media Commission report. It will depend on that. As I said, the technical working group was set up to look at alternatives to Exchequer funding. It was set up with a different backdrop and at a different time. Maybe we have to look at all options. All options should be on the table now.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Catherine Martin: As I said, I feel consecutive Governments have failed on this issue. This Government will grasp the nettle. I am absolutely determined to do that. I was determined to get the resolution to this issue before the crisis emerged. As I said to Deputy Munster earlier, I want to wait. To make the decision on this and for whatever that decision is to rest as well as possible with the public,...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Catherine Martin: That is what I am aiming for, and I know my Cabinet colleagues are of the same opinion. Although the focus is obviously on the interim funding right now, there are discussions on the fringes of that in relation to the future funding model. We have not taken the foot off the pedal on that at all.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Catherine Martin: Yes, and the Future of Media Commission report pointed to that as well.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Catherine Martin: There is obviously a fear there in relation to the independence of a public service broadcaster if it was Exchequer funded and there was in any way influence over the public service broadcaster. That was the concern at the time. I cannot comment on what we are looking at but I think the funding model has been impacted this summer in a way that puts that technical working group's work into a...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Catherine Martin: This will form part of the discussions over the coming months.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Catherine Martin: Absolutely. I would expect anyone who can shed light on this, when they are back to full health, to come before the committees and engage.