Results 921-940 of 4,627 for speaker:Cathal Crowe

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: I thought I was going to be the final speaker but I am happy to get an opportunity. I congratulate the Cathaoirleach on how she has hosted the meeting and how the clerks to the committee have organised all of this at short notice. It would have been helpful to have Renault and Ryan Tubridy here. That would have helped to paint a more full picture. I have a few questions that I will be...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: Mr. Lynch made that editorial decision. Is this the first time Mr. Lynch has made an editorial decision in his role?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: There is a bit of a chasm on air at the moment because in most Irish households Ryan is the messiah and not the pariah. What has to happen for him to go back on air? What will make Mr. Lynch change his editorial decision? People are wondering where Ryan Tubridy is and when we will hear his voice on the airwaves.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: What is the editorial reason? Could Mr. Lynch headline that for us?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: Is Mr. Lynch saying that he has done something wrong?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: There are two opposing briefings out there today. One is that he is saying he is still in a contract and he has ceased his television work but the radio work continues. RTÉ's, I think, and I have been listening to the witnesses for the past few hours, is that it is now in a state of negotiating something and it is very much in a state of flux. What is the truth? Those two briefings...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: I do not know if others had heard of the remuneration committee as an entity but I certainly had not until this afternoon. Who is on that? If they have a rubber-stamping role in terms of Patrick Kielty's contract, did they have any rubber-stamping role in the €75,000 top-up?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: Does RTÉ's remuneration committee meet only for the big guns, "the top talent", a term, I agree with Deputy Boyd Barrett, that is very insulting? It implies that untalented people exist in the organisation, which is rather unfair. Does the committee meet only to examine the remuneration of the top guns, the top talent or did it meet in 2019, for example, when the Lyric FM staff were...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: I wish Patrick Kielty well. He is stepping into a massive role. It is more than presenting a show. There is a certain leadership quality to this. It is the face of RTÉ. How early on was he made aware not only that he will be in the spotlight on Friday nights but that there is a big banana skin there as well? How early was he told of that?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: It is an unusual work environment. There are many people on contracts and sketchy enough contracts that would not be that nice to be on, and then there are other people who are contractors and they are paid handsome fees. Are there any performance-related bonus payments within the organisation, and would Dee Forbes or any of the executive have been in receipt of those in recent years?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: I also want to ask about the Deloitte audit. I have been audited as an elected Member. I think 15 Members every year get randomly selected and audited. An audit, as I understand it, although I am not an accountant, relates to a single financial transacting year. The Deloitte audit is very much focused on year beginning to year end. Has anyone said, "Maybe we now need as an organisation...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: That is fine and very well explained but the audit is a snapshot in time. The people who will face their licence renewals very soon and the people who are concerned about this whole debacle are probably wondering if this is a cultural thing and if it has happened in other years. The next time representatives of RTÉ are before our committee I would like them to have done a more...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: I have just two final quick questions.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: Well, if they are final, final, I have one big one to ask at the end. Our national media are great. Some of them are here and we rely on all of them for accuracy. Last December, they reported that RTÉ was set to pay €1.74 million to its employees vis-à-visgift vouchers. That was an admirable measure - and I congratulate RTÉ - to mitigate the huge cost-of-living...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: I want to conclude by thanking the witnesses. They might just tell me one thing at the end. I do not know if it is fair to name names, but Ciarán Mullooly in the past few days on his Twitter feed has been an outstanding representative. I think he speaks for so many of RTÉ's current and former employees. He is an outstanding figure in RTÉ. What would the witnesses say to...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: This is me asking; I was not asked to put that question.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: This is a very regionalised issue but the Lyric FM staff faced down management just four years ago and they were told, "There is no money. Sorry. We have to shut this down." I think RTÉ probably needs, separately to this debacle, to correspond with those staff and say, "In the fullness of time, we do owe you an apology also." There is plenty of money in this organisation.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: I think that has become clear as well. I thank the witnesses for their time here today.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Toll Increases and Ongoing Projects: Discussion with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: I read the opening statement. Only as the Leas-Chathaoirleach was speaking did I realise that a 130-page document is buried in the file tabs. I have a lot of bedtime reading for the next few nights. I have a few questions. The first concerns a very general point. It is always excellent to have different agencies and entities come before the committee to engage with us. It is democracy...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Toll Increases and Ongoing Projects: Discussion with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (28 Jun 2023)

Cathal Crowe: I will make the point, even though I do not know if it is a fair analogy, that Irish Water is another entity that shares many assets. There are many overlapping matters here. Irish Water is far from ideal but at least, despite all its flaws - and it has many - it has a very linear structure that allows local elected representatives to query matters and get answers within a day or two....