RTÉ culture change must end "sweetheart deals for top talent" - insists Laois TD

RTÉ must go further than not putting Ryan Tubridy back on air and instead act to ensure a culture change, Sinn Féin TD and Chair of the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee, Brian Stanley TD, has said

The Laois Offaly TD made the comments within days of confirmation by RTÉ that contract talks with Ryan Tubridy concluded without the former Late Late Show host returning to the airwaves.

Dep Stanley insisted that the decision not to renew Mr Tubridy’s contract is a matter for RTÉ but the issue does not end there.

"It is clear that the issues at the heart of this scandal went far beyond one individual. Serious questions remain about the broader culture in RTÉ that has been unearthed in recent months. 

“There has evidently been an insider culture with opaque sweetheart deals for ‘top talent’ in stark contrast to the conditions experienced by ordinary workers. We have also seen a concerning lack accountability and transparency around the spending of taxpayers’ money, with farcical revelations around luxury trips and events funded by public money. All of this is indicative of a broader culture that will not be resolved with the employment of a single individual.

“PAC has requested 58 pieces of information, some of which have not been provided by RTÉ or only provided partially. I am again appealing for them to submit this information without any further delay. This includes crucial information around exit packages for top staff, the names of those involved in the Renault deal and the details of commercial deals for other presenters. 

“We need to see this information provided so that the whole system can be reformed and public confidence can be restored in our public service broadcaster. It is crucial that the public can trust RTÉ once again and know that the public money it receives is spent with the transparency, accountability and respect necessary,” he said.

Laois Rose an early TV starter at Rose of Tralee on RTE

The Public Accounts Committee is likely to call more witnesses before its meeting in the Autumn when the Dáil resumes. The form RTÉ DG Dee Forbes has yet to answer questions in public about the controversy.