THE PUBLIC ACCOUNTS Committee (PAC) is set to recommend that RTÉ be brought under the remit of the Comptroller and Auditor General.
RTÉ has been shrouded by rolling controversies over the last eight months around issues with finance, governance and culture at the organisation.
The move proposed by the PAC would allow for increased scrutiny and oversight of RTÉ by the C&AG and the committee.
The recommendation is included in a draft report, the chair of the commmittee has confirmed, though it still needs to be signed off by members.
PAC chair Brian Stanley said the publication of the report has taken longer than the committee would have liked.
Speaking to RTÉ Radio One this morning, Stanley, a Sinn Féin TD, said that he had hoped the committee would have issued its reports by now with recommendations for RTÉ and that changes would have started to happen.
“But because of the drip feed of information, eight months later, we’re in this situation,” he said.
RTÉ representatives attended the Oireachtas Media Committee this week, including Director General Kevin Bakhurst.
Bakhurst revealed that the value of an exit package for former Chief Financial Officer Breda O’Keeffe, which was not approved by the RTÉ Board, amounted to €450,000.
Stanley said there was a “lack of oversight” of RTÉ by the Minister and Department of Media.
“Even the minister said that she only found out yesterday. The minister is a shareholder on behalf of the public in RTÉ. Tt would seem to be a very hands off situation that has been taken here.
Politicians on the media committee were disgruntled that several RTÉ executives who were invited to appear before it had declined, some on grounds of sickness, prompting consideration of whether the committee may seek to compel individuals to appear.
“The members of the committee are anxious to move on with this. We have to balance time and what’s achievable and we’re anxious to report as soon as possible but we will be seeking to use any powers that we have, within the within the parameters of the legalities and common sense,” Stanley said.
“We have a lot of information that we need. It’s fairly clear what happened. I think that it would be useful for those people for the missing people to come in and let’s hear their side of the story.”
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