Results 261-280 of 3,374 for speaker:Shane Cassells

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Engagement with Coimisiún na Meán on the 2023 Work Programme (27 Sep 2023)

Shane Cassells: On the work programme for quarter 1 next year, there is a section on sports broadcasting and sports stakeholder consultation and a strategic plan for sports broadcasting. Can Ms Craig elaborate on that?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Engagement with Coimisiún na Meán on the 2023 Work Programme (27 Sep 2023)

Shane Cassells: Okay. The-----

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Engagement with Coimisiún na Meán on the 2023 Work Programme (27 Sep 2023)

Shane Cassells: I appreciate that but I hope that we still have platforms to cover courts and local councils. As was pointed out to us, there was no local newspaper in the area where the Grenfell Tower scenario happened. The planning decision on the tower was taken at a council meeting. There was no local paper in the area to cover that event. The July Reuters report into trust in the Irish media showed...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: RTÉ (Resumed) (13 Sep 2023)

Shane Cassells: I welcome the witnesses, and Mr. Bakhurst in particular. In an earlier response, he mentioned his dealings with staff and his interactions with them. On my way to the committee room, I heard Emma O'Kelly of the RTÉ branch of the National Union of Journalists, NUJ, on the "News At One" with Bryan Dobson. Ms O'Kelly, who is RTÉ's education correspondent, expressed the worries of...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: RTÉ (Resumed) (13 Sep 2023)

Shane Cassells: The recruitment freeze is a stabilisation measure. Mr. Bakhurst said he did not want to impose mandatory staff cuts. Will a process of voluntary redundancies be offered? When looking at the headcount within RTÉ, we have spoken about the loss of confidence among the public. They are looking at a very small portion of the RTÉ high earners, many of whom are not staff members, like...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: RTÉ (Resumed) (13 Sep 2023)

Shane Cassells: Within that, what will be the potential headcount of voluntary redundancies, while conscious of the point Emma O’Kelly made in her interview with Bryan Dobson that they do not have enough staff at the moment within news and current affairs to cover the required output? That has an impact on what RTÉ can cover. I refer to allowing for annual leave as well. That is why I asked...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: RTÉ (Resumed) (13 Sep 2023)

Shane Cassells: Mr. Bakhurst mentioned areas where this will impact, such as the outside broadcasting unit and so on, because obviously that costs a lot of money. Where else are the impacts on investment? Mr. Bakhurst mentioned moving outside of Dublin. There were plans for Athlone and so forth. Where else are those cost-saving measures going to hit RTÉ?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: RTÉ (Resumed) (13 Sep 2023)

Shane Cassells: What would that impact? Is that specifically sport?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: RTÉ (Resumed) (13 Sep 2023)

Shane Cassells: Mr. Bakhurst made quite a combative statement this afternoon. I do not mind that because politicians have made quite combative statements as well, for example, about going to the sell the studio from under his feet and have him filming in a carpark. In his statement, Mr. Bakhurst warned us of the demise of RTÉ if we did not work together – politicians and RTÉ...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: RTÉ (Resumed) (13 Sep 2023)

Shane Cassells: Will the framework plan be published before budget day?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: RTÉ (Resumed) (13 Sep 2023)

Shane Cassells: Okay, so within that framework plan there will be a ballpark figure then-----

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: RTÉ (Resumed) (13 Sep 2023)

Shane Cassells: -----beyond what we have at the moment in terms of both this year and, as Mr Bakhurst said, projected for next year.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: RTÉ (Resumed) (13 Sep 2023)

Shane Cassells: I appreciate separating the different things. Mr. Bakhurst and I are extremely savvy professionals who are able to read the mood music emanating from senior Cabinet members. That is where the decisions are going to be made. They are not going to be made in this committee room. They will be made between the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Cabinet...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: RTÉ (Resumed) (13 Sep 2023)

Shane Cassells: As part of this, things like Montrose become a lightning rod. It becomes easy for people to say, "Sell Montrose and that will solve the problems". Selling it would be a demonstrable example of something that RTÉ has done. However, if it is sold once it is gone.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: RTÉ (Resumed) (13 Sep 2023)

Shane Cassells: It is gone.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: RTÉ (Resumed) (13 Sep 2023)

Shane Cassells: It is clear from Mr. Bakhurst's comments that it is part of the rescue plan. He said that doing nothing is not an option.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: RTÉ (Resumed) (13 Sep 2023)

Shane Cassells: Correct.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: RTÉ (Resumed) (13 Sep 2023)

Shane Cassells: Has Mr. Bakhurst looked at scoping potential sites in the further reaches of Dublin if the full sale was on with regard to what RTÉ would require to operate efficiently?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: RTÉ (Resumed) (13 Sep 2023)

Shane Cassells: There has been work done on the RTÉ campus to provide new radio facilities for "Morning Ireland" and "The Late Debate". What is the cost of this investment at that end of the campus, which is away from the old radio centre?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: RTÉ (Resumed) (13 Sep 2023)

Shane Cassells: Equally, and this is where it becomes a debating point among the public, in RTÉ people come to a reception area that is the size of a hotel in New York. At Virgin Media the reception area is the size of a semi-detached bedroom in the city. It is operating as a lean unit and every inch of the studio has a practical use. In a partial sell-off has Mr. Bakhurst identified how RTÉ...