Minister for Media Catherine Martin has requested RTÉ Director General Kevin Bakhurst and Chair of the RTÉ Board Siún Ní Raghallaigh meet with her in the Department tomorrow morning.A spokesperson said the minister will re-emphasise that transparency is essential in rebuilding trust amongst staff and the public in RTÉ and is also of particular importance as discussions continue at senior Government level on the future funding model for public service media.Meanwhile, Minister for Enterprise Simon Coveney said he does not know how much his brother, the former Director of Strategy Rory Coveney, received as part of his exit package from RTÉ.Mr Coveney also said that he has recused himself from Cabinet discussions about RTÉ for some months because of his brother's position.Speaking to journalists at the Fine Gael selection convention for the Dublin constituency for the European elections, Mr Coveney said he would not talk about any discussions he has had with his brother.Mr Coveney was asked if he thought that in principle individuals who had taken exit packages from RTÉ should reveal how much they got and under what conditions.He replied: "That's up to the individual".Tánaiste Micheál Martin has called on RTÉ to provide "full transparency in terms of salaries and packages" but said its editorial independence should be respected.He also said he believes Kevin Bakhurst "is doing everything he possibly can" to build up trust.Speaking to RTÉ's This Week, he said that "where any organisation is being funded by the public via the licence fee in this case and taxpayers money, there should be full transparency in terms of salaries and packages."In the midst of all the noise what we do need to respect is the editorial independence of RTÉ," he added.Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has also called for full clarity from RTÉ around exit payments paid to executives who have left the organisation.Mr Varadkar told the Sunday Independent that the drip feed of revelations is seriously damaging and for the second time in five days, he referred to a culture of arrogance at RTÉ.He is calling for more information around how redundancy payments were calculated and if they were in keeping with the rules.On the exit package paid to Rory Coveney, the Tánaiste said that in general industrial relations terms "there are legal consequences in terms of just summary dismissal"."According to RTÉ and the Director General that post was suppressed and that there are savings being realised because of the suppression of that post."And as you know in the industrial relations world, there are legal consequences in terms of just summary dismissal and generally speaking packages of that kind are worked out because of both the legal frameworks that govern employment and contracts and so forth. Kevin Bakhurst, the Director General, and those before him would be more privy to those contractual issues."Mr Bakhurst is currently seeking updated legal advice to find out if more information about the voluntary exit schemes can be shared with Oireachtas Committees.Yesterday, Mr Bakhurst confirmed that former RTÉ Director of Strategy Rory Coveney received an exit payment when he stood down from his role last July.He said that RTÉ's former Chief Financial Officer, Richard Collins, departed RTÉ "by mutual agreement, with a binding confidentiality clause that was agreed to by both sides and in the interest of fairness and respect cannot be breached".Mr Bakhurst said that Geraldine O'Leary, RTÉ's former Director of Commercial, retired from the organisation and did not receive an exit payment.He also said that RTÉ's former Director of Legal Affairs, Paula Mullooly, decided to leave to pursue another opportunity and did not receive an exit payment.When asked about a cap on exit packages, Mr Martin said that exit packages "should correspond" with "whatever the norms are in similar organisations or within the general situation in Ireland"."They should correspond with norms, that's my view. In the midst of understandable anger and the need for more accountability. I’m always loathed to respond with particular policy initiatives without seeing the full consequences of them."Politics and the political system has always avoided or should avoid overinvolvement in RTÉ or media generally because of the editorial independence issue and where does the line get drawn in respect of how far we interfere. That’s my concern overall standing back from it," he said.Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said she thinks the way information has to be dragged from RTÉ is "scandalous"."This is going on months now, and we’re still getting the information very, very slowly. It’s fairly scandalous that there seems to be one rule for top executives and a different rule for ordinary workers.""Not alone do we need to see the packages, we need an explanation as to why this was allowed to happen, who signed off on it, and who’s going to be held accountable," she said.Ms McDonald said it shouldn’t take an Oireachtas committee to have to force the information from RTÉ."They need to be forthcoming. We need to see all of the details in respect of all of these exit packages. And above all else, we need an answer as to how it is possible that top executives leave their job and walk away with hundreds of thousands of euros."I can assure you, an ordinary worker would not have a golden handshake if they chose to walk away from their job. "She is also not satisfied that sufficient detail has been put out on Mr Coveney’s departure payment."I think all of these issues now need to be amplified and explained, the full extent of the package who signed off on it and again, why should a top RTÉ executive get a golden handshake of hundreds of thousands of euros, when ordinary workers if they walked away from their job would get nothing, as a matter of fact they wouldn't even be entitled to a social welfare payment."Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns has said that "complete transparency and accountability is key to building trust" at RTÉ."I'm surprised to be honest that this has arisen because I think it was really clear after everything that's been happening within RTÉ over the last while, that complete transparency and accountability is key to building trust, to bringing back confidence in our public service broadcaster."Speaking on RTÉ's This Week, she said that "never before is it more essential that we have a public service broadcaster that we can all trust".Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns has said that "complete transparency and accountability is key to building trust" at RTÉ."I'm surprised to be honest that this has arisen because I think it was really clear after everything that's been happening within RTÉ over the last while, that complete transparency and accountability is key to building trust, to bringing back confidence in our public service broadcaster."Speaking on RTÉ's This Week, she said that "never before is it more essential that we have a public service broadcaster that we can all trust".Mr Martin said decisions on the future funding of public service broadcasting should wait until all outstanding reports have been published."I think what will happen within the lifetime of this Government is we will resolve the issues but they will take time to take effect. I think it is sensible that we do await the further two reports that the minister has commissioned in respect of governance and other issues, so there’s a fully informed basis upon which decisions pertaining to funding are made."He said he hopes a decision on it can be made this year. 43-"The licence fee will be a significant revenue earner for RTÉ certainly in 2024 and I would even hazard a guess into 2025 until a new system is bedded down. We will hope to get a decision made this year and hopefully before the summer recess that we get a decision made. But then it will take time, I would envisage, to work that system through."The Tánaiste said that there are different perspectives, but he has "a particular fundamentalist view on the editorial independence" and on "the separation from the media being too dependent on any given government’s support at any given time"."I’m surprised that is getting, even in public discourse, the same type of attention that it merits. And we see what’s happening in other governments, even within the European Union, where excessive control exists over the media which can affect electoral outcomes."I think we need to put in guardrails and we need to make absolutely sure, because the new funding arrangements are not just about RTÉ, but other stations local and national, print media."
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