MINISTER FOR MEDIA and Communications Patrick O’Donovan is tomorrow expected to ask cabinet to sign off on plans to bring RTÉ’s finances under the control of the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG)

The move will come as part of the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill, which aims to strengthen transparency, accountability and governance in RTÉ and TG4 while also widening support for public service content across the wider media sector.

The C&AG currently audits the finances of almost 300 public bodies, excluding local authorities and commercial semi-State bodies like RTÉ.

Subject to approval by the Oireachtas, the Bill will see the C&AG become the auditor of RTÉ’s accounts from the broadcaster’s 2026 figures onwards.

Calls for such a change first began during the protracted crisis surrounding RTÉ governance following the Ryan Tubridy payment scandal, when 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.

It is understood that O’Donovan planned to bring this bill to cabinet this week before the latest payment controversy with RTÉ was revealed. 

Last week, RTÉ was forced to revise its top-paid presenters list for 2024 after it discovered that Derek Mooney had been omitted and should have been listed as the eighth highest-paid presenter at the broadcaster. 

It was also revealed last week that a combined €97,000 was paid to Claire Byrne and Ray D’Arcy after the duo stopped working for the broadcaster towards the end of last year.

This move was defended by RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst, who is set to meet with the media minister on Tuesday.