PAC To Call Department Before Committee To Clarify €20M RTÉ Funding Issue

I welcome the decision of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to call officials from the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport to come before the PAC to clarify issues arising from the €20m funding issue with RTÉ.

There was a clear three-year funding agreement between RTÉ and the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport that committed to a €725m over a three-year period. The PAC now want to see that agreement, examine its enforcement and understand the mechanisms that may or not be there to withhold funding.

The Department should be able to withhold funding for the organisation if they think RTÉ needs to increase delivery of the reforms, however, there is a degree of concern about whether this is a matter of withholding, delaying or withdrawing funding. These are very different things. The PAC needs clarity on what the exposure to the state is at present and in future years.

The Department must clarify the terms of the agreement that was reached and the enforcement mechanisms within the agreement to ensure benchmarks are met or funding can be withheld. The PAC and the public have a right to know if this funding has been delayed or withdrawn completely and I would urge the Department to clarify this before the PAC.