Media Minister Catherine Martin has put the brakes on RTE’s €40million bailout until she starts seeing promised reforms taking effect in real time.
The Minister was responding to the RTE New Direction plan for the first time in front of reporters at the opening of an art exhibition in Dublin Castle on Wednesday morning.
Ms Martin said she was “hopeful” that she will be able to release the funding, but warned that “progress” will have to be proven before the first tranche is handed over at the start of next year.
Ms Martin said: “I think the strategic vision shows a welcome renewed commitment to public service broadcasting and to cost efficiencies and the essential governance reforms.
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“And I welcome it in that regard.
“In relation to linking the (pay) cap to the DG’s (Director General), I think the cap is welcome, it’s something that was sought by many people and the public have even expressed that opinion too.
“And I think it’s only right that no one would earn more than the leader of an organisation.”
“In relation to the €56million (bailout), the breakdown of that is the €16million that was already signalled in the Budget.
“This number in its entirety was recommended by New Era, the remainder of the €40million that I’ve announced, we’re going to put a monitoring framework in place, a structure, which will be led by a dedicated unit in my department and in conjunction with New Era.
“The first tranche of that €40million will not be released until we see the recommendations from the two expert advisory committees that the Government commissioned.
“And those committees will take account of all findings of any internal or external reviews.
“We’ll be looking at before we release that first tranche that we’re seeing progress on the reforms already announced.
“So, for example, we’re expecting the Register of Interests in January 2024, we’re expecting the Register of External Activities in January 2024.
“They have signalled a corporate governance framework by the end of this year, so we need to see that progress is continuing.
“So the first tranche will be then and the second tranche in the second half.
“New Era will also be engaging with that, so, for example, the €10million in cost efficiencies to make sure that that is being delivered upon.”
Ms Martin added: “I think we’ve a bigger problem if we’re not seeing a bigger delivery on that, because I had hoped that all lessons have been learned as a result of the controversy and where we find ourselves today.
“And at the end of the day I think public service broadcasting is a public good and that it is protected.
“I would be hopeful that we will be in a a position to release that funding, because as I said, it’s a bigger problem if we’re not seeing delivery on governance reforms.”
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