Minister for Media Catherine Martin has said she is "deeply appreciative" of former RTÉ Board Chair Siún Ní Raghallaigh's commitment to public service broadcasting.Giving a statement to the Dáil on RTÉ following Ms Ní Raghallaigh's resignation last Friday, the minister outlined steps she has taken to protect public service broadcasting.Ms Martin faced more than an hour-and-a-half of Dáil statements this afternoon regarding her handling of the long-running crisis at RTÉ.Ms Martin said Ms Ní Raghallaigh had not intentionally given her inaccurate information in two meetings last week regarding Board approval of the severance package for former RTÉ chief financial officer Richard Collins.She said she is "more determined than ever" to reform funding, but trust must be restored in RTÉ first.The minister said she sees the merit of putting RTÉ under the Comptroller and Auditor General, but awaits "the recommendations of the expert advisory committees" next month.Ms Martin then recounted the events of last week as she did before the Oireachtas Media Committee last night.Speaking following her statement, Sinn Féin TD Imelda Munster said that "instead of steadying the ship" the minister "threw a grenade in".Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty said meanwhile that "the public are sick and tired after debacle after debacle in terms of RTÉ".Both deputies criticised Ms Martin's "hands off approach".Mr Doherty said that it is reported that Ms Ní Raghallaigh, whose position was part-time, "waived her fee".Labour TD Alan Kelly told the Dáil that he has always found Catherine Martin to be "a hands-off minister"."You basically poured petrol on the fire," he said, creating an "unprecedented" crisis."I worry deeply, minister, about your relationship with your officials."Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy said that Ms Ní Raghallaigh was "refreshingly candid" with the Public Accounts Committee.She criticised a "reliance on phone calls and side chats" with no official records kept, which she said was "absolutely unforgiveable" in relation to exit packages.The minister is "taking an arm's length approach" when "a sleeves-up approach" is needed.Aontú Leader Peadar Tóibín branded RTÉ a fiasco factory and said the crisis was eclipsing other more pressing issues.Meanwhile, Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said he hopes that the Cabinet "will be in a position by next Tuesday" to have identified the person who will take over as the new Chair of the RTÉ Board.Speaking in Dublin, he said Ms Martin would shortlist a number of candidates and then there would be "consultations with the party leaders.""Public service broadcasting is extremely important. Given all the turmoil over the past months, it is important that we create stability within the RTÉ company and that it can get back to its core function," he said.The Tánaiste added that the Government hopes to take a decision on future funding of public service media before the summer recess, but added it would take some time to implement those decisions."I think, in order to underpin public service broadcasting, we need to collect as much licence fee revenue as we possibly can," he said.The Tánaiste backed Ms Martin, saying she was "very open and transparent" at the Oireachtas Media Committee last night.Towards the end of the Dáil statements, Ms Martin said that direct exchequer funding will be considered for public service broadcasting.While it has risks, so does the licence fee, she said, adding that she will make a decision "before the summer"."Any minister doing an interview cannot predict questions but expects all questions," Minister Martin said of her Prime Time appearance last Thursday."I am meeting the [RTÉ] Board this week," and the focus will be "moving forward together."She will "appoint a new chair at the earliest possible time" and said that "strides are being made towards reform and rebuilding trust"."The DG reports to the Chair - and the Chair reports to me," the minister restated."At no point was it clear to" the minister that the board had a role in approving the exit package of Mr Collins."At no point did RTÉ make any attempt to bring to my attention in the appropriate formal channel that the new system had applied to Richard Collins."RTÉ did not at any point put this on the record, she said.The minister said she wants to end on a positive note and praised the staff at RTÉ for their work, especially through Covid-19, in providing reliable trustworthy information.She said that she wants to put on the record her thanks for the staff at RTÉ.This afternoon's statements followed three-and-a-half hours of questioning at the Oireachtas Committee on Media last night, regarding severance packages given to former RTÉ executives and why chair of the RTÉ Board Siún Ní Raghallaigh resigned.Ms Martin provided the committee with significant detail on the breakdown of her relationship with Ms Ní Raghallaigh - although the former chair was not in attendance.Minister for Rural and Community Affairs Heather Humphreys said Ms Martin gave a very good account of herself at the committee meeting last night and the Cabinet is firmly behind her.She said people on the street want to see the RTÉ crisis "sorted"."I know that a lot of work has gone into sorting the crisis and they need to get back on track and deliver the services it is designed to do, which is public service broadcasting," Minister Humphreys said.She said RTÉ Director General Kevin Bakhurst is working extremely hard and that Minister Martin has full support in him."He (Bakhurst) walked into a job that was not easy in that there were a lot of issues to be addressed," Minister Humphreys said."He is doing that and we (Cabinet) will support him to get on with that job to put RTÉ back on a stable footing, so that staff on the ground can carry out the work they do every day, the long hours that reporters do every single day."The National Union of Journalists said it remains "gravely concerned" at the continued uncertainty surrounding RTÉ's future, calling for a "sharp focus" on the funding of public service broadcasting in Ireland.NUJ members gathered at RTÉ with trade union colleagues to call on the Government to act immediately on the funding crisis within the broadcaster and the wider public service broadcasting sector.Separately, Minister for Finance Michael McGrath has said no decisions have been made on changes to how the TV licence fee is funded or how the State broadcaster will be funded into the future.Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Claire Byrne, Minister McGrath said a form of charge should be retained but could not say who should collect it.The minister said that people should renew their licences because it is important for the good work that is done in RTÉ every day.
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