According to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, confidence in RTÉ cannot be restored without changes to the national broadcaster, reports RTE.
Speaking in Co Clare, Mr Varadkar said: “I understand that the new Director General Kevin Bakhurst is going to announce changes to the organisation on Monday, the way the management is structured and issues around conflicts of interest,” reports RTE.
Bakhurst, who is due to take up his new post on Monday, met with Media Minister Catherine Martin on Thursday.
“I am very reassured in what he has said to Government and it’s important that he be allowed to set out those plans on Monday and to talk to staff first and to inform the wider nation about those changes and he’s going to make them quickly,” Mr Varadkar said, reports RTE.
On the TV licence, Taoiseach said he hoped people would continue to pay TV licences, but agreed that it was an outdated model and needed to be changed.
He said he now funds a lot of worthy TV shows, whether it’s news, sports, drama, children’s TV or the RTÉ archive, and it’s worth so much.
However, Mr Varadkar said this needed review and described it as an antiquated system of revenue collection based on ownership of a television device, which many no longer have and almost all of the money goes to RTÉ, although many others are involved in off-air broadcasting services.
“So I think reform of the TV licence is long overdue and I want that to happen during this Government. I can see the political temptation to put it off for another government or another Dáil, but I do not want to do that, and I want to make sure we have a new system up and running during the lifetime of this Government,” he said, reports RTE.
Speaking on RTÉ on Saturday with Aine Kerr, Former Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte highlighted what he believed was ” the biggest question” about Mr Tubrida’s payment.
“Why someone at the top of RTÉ made the imprudent decision to underwrite a guarantee from a sponsoring company and then when that company defaulted RTÉ decided to discharge the guarantee rather than pleading force majeure. And then to cap it all, decided to conceal the transaction and the beneficiary of the transaction for whatever reason… that is the fundamental question,” he said, reports RTE.
“It is sloppy management that has got us into the situation we are in,” Mr Rabbitte added, reports RTE.
Sinn Féin’s Mairéad Farrell said the debate heard how difficult it was to treat RTÉ staff.
“We have to be very clear that there cannot be a situation where license fee money is spent on that kind of lavish lifestyles for certain individuals when at the same time we have heard from RTÉ workers how poorly they have been treated,” reports RTE.
Mr Tobin also accused Media Minister Catherine Martin of “sitting on the sidelines” in the huge controversy rather than holding her accountable.
Mr Rabbitt said the culture review at RTÉ was very important as it caused “justifiable” anger among staff.
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