RTÉ’s Executive Board appears to be “non-functioning”, the Chair of the Oireachtas Media Committee has said. 

There are seven members of the Executive Board and it is responsible for the running of the broadcaster. 

Today, seven representatives of RTÉ were questioned at length by the Media Committee on the controversy surrounding Ryan Tubridy’s secret salary and Chair Niamh Smyth said she had not been impressed. 

“I got a sense that there is a non-functioning executive,” she told The Hard Shoulder.  

“And the one thing I would have to say and, I think there was unanimity around the committee members on this, the executive seems to work in silo. 

“They don’t seem to have communicated very well with each other over the last number of years. 

“I think this deal has brought it all very much to the forefront and that’s disappointing. 

“I don’t think [they have] a proper functioning relationship among themselves and that extends to the board as well.”

RTÉ Director-General Dee Forbes leaving an event at the National Concert Hall in Dublin January 2020. Picture by: PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo

In her opening statement to the committee, RTÉ chair Siún Ní Raghallaigh said she was sorry for such an "egregious breach of trust with the public" and acknowledged that members of the public, staff and TDs felt "angry and hurt" by the revelation. 

She also revealed that she had asked for Dee Forbes’ resignation as Director General on June 16th - several days before the information was made public. 

Trust

Deputy Smyth said it would take time to restore trust in the broadcaster. 

“I think there is a huge piece of work to be done in rehabilitating how they function,” she said. 

“How they communicate and how they obviously explain to the public their salaries, their accounts and I think there can be no repeat we’ve seen over the last number of years. 

“No more secret deals and there’s a huge onus on RTÉ, in particular the executive, to be straight with the public, straight with their staff and straight with the Government.” 

Deputy Smyth said she “hope[s] this is an isolated incident” and has been assured “there’s no other side deal, secret deal or anything else.”

'Failure of governance'

In the wake of the hearing, Minister for Media Catherine Martin said the committee had revealed a “shocking failure of governance at senior management level in RTÉ.” 

“This has not calmed the considerable disquiet about the lack of accountability at RTÉ in the public domain,” she said. 

“At tomorrow’s meeting of the Public Accounts Committee, it is vital the Executive Board engages in as transparent a manner as possible, and I urge those present to responsibly account for the decisions taken which have seriously damaged the public’s trust in public service broadcasting.” 

Dee Forbes was invited to appear at the Oireachtas Media Committee but declined on health grounds. 

It is expected she will be invited to do so again when she is in better health.

Main image: Dee Forbes and Ryan Tubridy