Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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22. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to provide an update on reform of governance and accountability at RTÉ, making particular reference to the role of the Comptroller and Auditor General; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24414/24]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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On the 7th of May, I brought to Government and then published the Reviews of the Expert Advisory Committees on Governance and Culture and Contractor Fees, HR and Other Matters in RTÉ. I also published the final report from forensic accountant Mazars on the examination of the barter account in RTÉ.

The Reviews of the Expert Advisory Committees collectively set out 116 comprehensive and far-reaching recommendations, over 100 of which require implementation by RTÉ and 15 of which require implementation by my Department or the Government.

The recommendations of the Expert Advisory Committees have been accepted in principle by both the Government and RTÉ. RTÉ are currently preparing an implementation plan which will set out the actions and timelines required to implement the recommendations which are appropriate to them. RTÉ will be required to submit this plan to my Department by the 18th of June. To ensure the plan is implemented, I have established a Monitoring group, composed of my Department and NewERA, which will oversee and undertake quarterly reviews of RTÉ’s actions.

I intend to bring RTÉ’s implementation plan to Government, along with the detailed steps my Department will be taking to implement the recommendations of the Expert Advisory Committee appropriate to my Department or the Government, by the end of next month. These will include details of the proposals my Department are preparing to reform the legislative basis for the governance of RTÉ, including assigning the Comptroller and Auditor General as auditor of RTÉ.

This was a key recommendation of both the Expert Advisory Committee on Governance and Culture and the Public Accounts Committee, and one that I have strongly welcomed. It will not only ensure that the Comptroller and Auditor General is reinstated as auditor of RTÉ, but also that the Director General is accountable to the Committee of Public Accounts for RTÉ’s financial statements and the efficiency, economy and effectiveness of expenditure by RTÉ.

Its implementation will require amendments to the Broadcasting Act 2009 and the making of a Ministerial Order by the Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform under the Comptroller and Auditor General (Amendment) Act 1993. As with any proposal that is legislative in nature, there will be a requirement to take detailed legal advice.

My Department is currently consulting with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform and the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General to understand the most effective means to take this proposal forward. My objective is to bring forward the General Scheme of a Bill to give effect to this, and the other legislative recommendations of the Review of Governance and Culture, in Autumn of this year.