Committee of Public Accounts to resume examination of commercial arrangements by RTÉ and presenters, including those underwritten by RTÉ, which relate to public monies

The meeting in Committee Room 3 of Leinster House with current and former representatives of RTÉ, including the new Director General, Kevin Bakhurst, and the Chair of the RTE Board, Síun Ní Raghallaigh, will further examine commercial arrangements entered into by RTÉ and its presenters, including those underwritten by RTÉ, which have impacted on and relate to the expenditure of public monies.

PAC Cathaoirleach Deputy Brian Stanley said: “While this will be Committee’s third engagement on the on-going controversy surrounding the payments by RTÉ to Ryan Tubridy and his agent Noel Kelly, it will be our first engagement with the newly appointed Director General Kevin Bakhurst, who took up the position on Monday of this week.

“RTÉ is part-funded by the licence fee as well as commercial revenue, which it is responsible for generating. In total, RTÉ received €1.3 billion from 2015 to 2021 from the licence fee collected in the that period. RTÉ’s accounts are not audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General, and consequently, the matter of the examination of RTÉ in this regard would in normal circumstances not fall within the remit of the Committee of Public Accounts.

“However, as the recent and ongoing revelations regarding the transparency of RTÉ’s payments to presenters are a matter of significant public interest, the Committee sought and received an extension of its Orders of Reference to facilitate its examination of these matters.

“The Committee intends to seek clarification on matters arising from the PAC meeting with RTÉ representatives on 29 June, the documentation requested during that meeting, and matters arising from the PAC meeting with Mr Tubridy and Mr Kelly on Tuesday, 11 July. Members look forward to discussing these and related matters with Ms Ní Raghallaigh, Mr Bakhurst and their colleagues.”

The meeting in Committee Room 3 can be viewed live on Oireachtas TV.

PAC is a standing committee of Dáil Éireann which focuses on ensuring public services are run efficiently and achieve value for money. Further information on the role and remit of the Committee can be found here.

Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.