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 will again hear from representatives of RTÉ, including the Director General, Kevin Bakhurst, and members of the Interim Leadership team. The Secretary General of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts. Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Ms Katherine Licken, will also be in attendance.

PAC Cathaoirleach Deputy Brian Stanley said: “This will be Committee’s fourth engagement with RTÉ following revelations of payments to its former presenter Ryan Tubridy, payments that were part of a commercial arrangement that was underwritten by RTÉ.

“Following our engagements with RTÉ in June and July, the Committee requested additional information from RTÉ, including details on how management came to underwrite the commercial arrangement with Mr Tubridy, the operation and governance of the so-called barter account through which payments were made, and further information on exit packages and allowances paid to senior RTÉ executives.

“These revelations regarding the transparency of RTÉ’s payments to presenters remain a matter of significant public interest and this Committee is committed to ensuring there is complete transparency around the spending of public monies by all bodies in receipt of taxpayer funding, including RTE.

“Members look forward to discussing these and related matters with Ms Licken, 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.