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CABINET WILL TODAY be updated on the government’s plans to bring RTÉ’s finances under the remit of the state auditor.
The update comes ahead of a Sinn Féin Private Members’ Bill, due to be reintroduced this week, to bring RTÉ under the control of the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG).
Media Minister Patrick O’Donovan will outline to ministers that in the government’s view, the Sinn Féin bill doesn’t go as far as the government’s proposed legislation, and therefore the Private Members’ Bill will be opposed.
O’Donovan will tell Cabinet that the policy objective of the Bill is already being addressed by government through the General Scheme of the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill, the revision of which was approved on 8 April and which is now with the relevant Oireachtas Committee for pre-legislative scrutiny.
Former Minister Catherine Martin first introduced the government legislation last year.
The C&AG currently audits the finances of almost 300 public bodies, excluding local authorities and commercial semi-State bodies like RTÉ.
During the protracted crisis surrounding RTÉ governance, following the Ryan Tubridy payment scandal, then chairperson of the RTÉ board Siún Ní Raghallaigh recommended that RTÉ should be audited by the C&AG.
However, legislative change was required to expand its remit.
O’Donovan will tell ministers that the Sinn Féin proposal differs from the approach by government in two substantive ways, insofar as it does not provide for the accountability of the Director General of RTÉ to the Public Accounts Committee for RTÉ’s financial statements or value-for-money matters and it does not allow the RTÉ Board the discretion to appoint a regulated private sector auditor in addition to the C&AG.
The Cabinet update comes after RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst met with chairman of the media committee, Alan Kelly, as well as chair of the Public Accounts Committee, John Brady last week.
Bakhurst described the meeting with Kelly as “constructive”, with the meeting understood to have centred around the restructuring programme and a range of legacy issues in the organisation, as well as the €3.6 million partly failed IT project.
It is understood that RTÉ will be invited before both committees before the Dáil summer recess.
In addition, Cabinet will also hear from Education Minister Helen McEntee who will outline the new DEIS Plan to address educational disadvantage across all schools.
The new DEIS Plan will focus on improving the opportunities for children at risk of educational disadvantage in all schools, working towards a system where a school can receive the right supports they need at the right time to support the children most in need in the school at that time.
It will look at addressing retention for the Leaving Certificate and improving progression rates into further and higher education. It will also place a major focus on school attendance and tackling the rate of absenteeism in both DEIS and non-DEIS schools, something the minister has spoken about this week.
Meanwhile the Housing Minister James Browne will seek approval for cross-government involvement with ‘2027 – The Year of the Normans – People of Europe’.
It is understood the Normandy Regional Council has invited European countries and regions sharing Norman history and heritage, such as Britain, Channel Islands, Southern Italy, Norway, Denmark and Ireland to take part.
Apparently, Ireland’s participation backs up the Programme for Government commitment to build links and understanding with other EU capitals and regions in, education, research and innovation.
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