Results 1,861-1,880 of 5,583 for speaker:Paul McAuliffe
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Paul McAuliffe: In that case, why did the witness do so?
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Paul McAuliffe: The witness was instructed by the director general to forego €75,000. At that point, the witness was aware that the €75,000 would not be included in payments made directly from RTÉ to Mr. Ryan Tubridy. Is that correct?
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Paul McAuliffe: Surely Ms O'Leary had to have been aware of the arrangement? The deal was structured in order to keep €75,000 of RTÉ's income off the books, and that it would be paid directly from the sponsor to Mr. Tubridy. That is what the deal did. It took €75,000 of income, that otherwise would have come to RTÉ, and paid it directly to Mr. Tubridy. How could you not have known...
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Paul McAuliffe: Ms O'Leary's answer is simply not credible. It is like as if she was working in advertising in a bus company, and we said to the advertisers: "Do not to pay the bus company directly, pay the bus driver instead and then nobody in the garage will know that the bus drive is on more money than everybody else."
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Paul McAuliffe: Does Ms O'Leary know that RTÉ forwent €75,000 worth of income that it would otherwise have received?
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Paul McAuliffe: Does Ms O'Leary know that that income was going to Ryan Tubridy?
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Paul McAuliffe: So RTÉ was paying €75,000 to Ryan Tubridy through a vehicle called the tripartite agreement.
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Paul McAuliffe: I will return to the credit note. I have to ask Mr. Collins the same question. Does he accept that the tripartite agreement was essentially a vehicle to keep €75,000 of revenue that would have otherwise come to RTÉ off the books so it would go directly to Ryan Tubridy?
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Paul McAuliffe: Mr. Collins's evidence is that he had no involvement in the negotiation of the tripartite agreement, no involvement in its working out and no knowledge of it being cost neutral. I am sure he is aware of the RTÉ statement that was issued this week. In the statement, under the second point, it says: Once it has been agreed in principle by the relevant editorial lead the process of...
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Paul McAuliffe: Mr. Collins worked from January up to March, but there are also further dealings up to June. So between January and June, when the RTÉ statement says Mr. Collins should have been taking the lead on the contract, he had no involvement.
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Paul McAuliffe: Mr. Collins had no knowledge of the tripartite agreement.
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Paul McAuliffe: That was not my question. My question is whether Mr. Collins had any knowledge of the tripartite agreement.
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Paul McAuliffe: Why would RTÉ be-----
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Paul McAuliffe: Why would RTÉ be party to an agreement to generate earnings for Ryan Tubridy?
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Paul McAuliffe: RTÉ could only have been party to a tripartite agreement if it had an involvement in it. The only involvement it could have had is either to make the payment directly to Ryan Tubridy or to forgo income coming from Renault. When Mr. Collins was aware of a tripartite agreement, he must have been aware that RTÉ-----
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Paul McAuliffe: Mr. Collins was not aware of any tripartite agreement.
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Paul McAuliffe: The Grant Thornton report puts it more bluntly. It also refers to the legal department. I think Ms O'Leary has already said she was aware of it. In 2.8(b) of the auditor's report, it says: "The Commercial Brand were prepared to engage but their engagement would have to be [on a] cost neutral [basis]." Mr. Collins has stated that. It says in 2.5: The RTÉ Legal Team's understanding...
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Paul McAuliffe: When the phrase "RTÉ legal team" was used-----
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Paul McAuliffe: So the RTÉ solicitor was aware of the cost-neutral nature of the agreement.
- Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation and Expenditure of Public Moneys by RTÉ: Discussion (29 Jun 2023)
Paul McAuliffe: Knowing that it was reducing the fee that would otherwise normally have come to RTÉ.