We have one item of committee business to dispose of before we proceed to our second stakeholder engagement this afternoon. We discussed in private session today correspondence No. GCM-R-1038a, received from Mr. Larry Bass, CEO of ShinAwiL Limited, in respect of evidence given at the committee meeting of 5 July by former chairperson of RTÉ, Ms Moya Doherty. Mr. Bass wishes to correct the record and maintains that "inaccurate and damaging information" was contained in a statement made by Ms Doherty. While the letter provides considerable detail in its two pages, I will summarise the main points as follows. Mr. Bass states that Ms Doherty, the former RTÉ board chair, was incorrect to state that it was a conflict of interest to be an independent producer while serving as a member of RTÉ's board and states Ms Doherty is an independent producer herself. He states that ShinAwiL is not, as was claimed, solely dependent on RTÉ for its income. He challenges the implication made by Ms Doherty that he, rather than any other independent producer who has served on the RTÉ board, has a serious level of conflict of interest as an RTÉ board member. Mr. Bass expresses the view that any conflict of interest that arose at a board meeting could have been managed and he would have recused himself from any decision relating to ShinAwiL.
As Cathaoirleach, under Standing Order 71 I am conscious that we are heading into the summer recess and I want today to deal with the matters raised by Mr. Bass and put them on the public record. I have also asked the clerk to the committee to publish the letter in full following this meeting on the committee's web page and to inform Mr. Bass of those actions.