Results 1,301-1,320 of 7,444 for speaker:John Brady
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)
John Brady: I welcome the witnesses. This is an important meeting, with another to follow tomorrow at the Committee of Public Accounts, so I thank them all for coming here. A lot of the responsibility does not land on their shoulders and one of the key people who should be here, unfortunately is not, but I hope she will take the earliest opportunity to come before this committee and the Committee of...
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)
John Brady: It is important to point out that the reason we here in the first instance relates to a shady deal involving payments to Mr. Tubridy, a cover-up and the ultimate exposure of that cover-up. Unfortunately, however, we do not have all the facts. We have the Grant Thornton audit report but we do not have the facts relating to the 2017 to 2019 payments. The opening paragraphs of the Grant...
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)
John Brady: That €120,000 was not paid.
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)
John Brady: Moving on, there is a figure of €425,000. Is that the overall figure?
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)
John Brady: The barter account is operated solely by the commercial director. Is that correct?
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)
John Brady: The Grant Thornton report states that the consultancy fees "did not reflect the substance of the transactions" and “The Talent Agent did not provide consultancy and the Talent did not provide consultancy.” Many would construe that as amounting to a fraudulent invoice and payment based on that. Does Ms O'Leary have a view on that?
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)
John Brady: Okay. There is a view, therefore, that nothing is unlawful and there is no fraudulent invoice-----
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)
John Brady: -----and that has been examined by the legal section within RTÉ.
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)
John Brady: How long has the account been in place within RTÉ?
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)
John Brady: Since 2014, okay. Did anyone else have access to that account or was it solely Ms Geraldine O'Leary who had oversight of it as the commercial-----
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)
John Brady: Okay. Certainly the way it is portrayed here, and I am sure the public would have a strong view, in terms of the lack of governance, the lack of oversight, what it was being used for in terms of different trips, golf outings, matches, is that it was being used as some sort of slush fund with no proper accounting mechanism in place. It was off the balance sheet and we now know that it was...
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)
John Brady: Was Mr. Collins concerned at the lack of governance and oversight?
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)
John Brady: We know that in 2022, there was 25 transactions in relation to the barter account and Mr. Colllins said he has had a preliminary look at it. How does that compare with previous years, once it came onto the balance sheet?
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)
John Brady: Okay.
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)
John Brady: Can I ask that a ten-year record of the barter account be published and given to this committee and to the Committee of Public Accounts? It would be a very useful piece of work, if that could be produced as soon as possible. The Grant Thornton report states, on page 15, that "The Talent's Agent has also advised me that they have identified a substantial number of invoices on behalf of...
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)
John Brady: Do we know where those invoices went?
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)
John Brady: Okay, so Mr. Collins has no knowledge of the whereabouts any of those substantial number of invoices that Mr. Kelly talked about, which have gone in labelled "consultancy fees", and that he himself referred to their true nature being to conceal their true purpose?
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)
John Brady: It is not clear.
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)
John Brady: It may not be clear but my interpretation is that he was talking specifically about RTÉ. Could we get clarity on that? In terms of the five-year contract negotiated with Ryan Tubridy, we know of the clause for €75,000 in additional payments to Mr. Tubridy. Where is it in writing, that RTÉ agreed to underwrite that agreement? Is there a side letter? Is there something to-----
- Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2023)
John Brady: A verbal agreement?