Results 1,341-1,360 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: 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.

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: Each and every one of us, including members of Government and Members of both Houses, has a responsibility there. At every opportunity I get, I emphasise and point to highlight not only the legal obligation but also the benefits it brings to society. Each and every one of us has done that throughout this process. To make a decision on the future funding model with everything emerging as 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: To add to that, apart from the €16 million recommended by the Future of Media Commission, more will be needed this year and that is why we are looking to the strategic vision. I hope the public will see that we are tying future funding but we are not going to let RTÉ fail this year while we wait for the longer-term funding model decision to be made. We are tying it with 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: That is for them to present in their strategic vision. None of us want to see redundancies because, as the Senator said, the staff are the innocent victims in this. Much valued behind-the-scenes work has been done. That is why one of those independent expert groups is really looking at and interrogating the staff element, HR and the contracts out of absolute respect for and recognition of...

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 can understand if there is a fear there and that is why it is important the DG is engaging. He has created a new staff engagement forum that was never there before. That is why, when I meet him this week, I will be emphasising again that with regard to the strategic vision, I will expect full consultation with the staff before it is announced.

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: Last year, the Future of Media Commission recommendation was not simply a case of saying “Here, you have that”. RTÉ would actually have sought more and, similar to this year, NewERA interrogated that ask and recommended that we stick to the Future of Media Commission amount, which was €15 million last year. Another recommendation that has happened since is 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: Is that in relation to the actual amount of €15 million?

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 Government accepted that because it was an expert task force that made those recommendations, but NewERA then recommended it. This year, it made a recommendation for this year's budget. Last year, it made the recommendation and it happened to land on the exact same amount as the Future of Media Commission.

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: Where we are now is that I will be meeting Kevin Bakhurst again this week. As I said, in the budget, because we have not seen the strategic vision yet and I do not believe it will land before the budget, so-----

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: Unfortunately, that will not be the case now, but we have seen other delays that have happened in regard to reports, for example. As a direct consequence of that, I will not be considering the full amount until I see the strategic vision. I am only going to look at the recommendation of the Future of Media Commission in the budget and I will hold off on anything above that until I see 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: I would not be inclined to make a decision until I have more than a framework.

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 think the Future of Media Commission amount in the budget is enough to keep them. As I said, we cannot let RTÉ fail, as our national broadcaster.