RTÉ News: O'Keeffe's exit payment recorded as €400k in RTÉ report

Story from RTÉ News:

The €450,000 exit payment for RTÉ's former chief financial officer Breda O'Keeffe was recorded as €400,000 in the company's 2020 annual report.

A spokesperson for the broadcaster explained that this was because the figure was rounded downwards.

"The consistent practice in the treatment of RTÉ's annual accounts is to treat figures to one decimal point (i.e. to the nearest €100,000).

"In this instance the precise figure was rounded down to €400,000 rather than up to €500,000.

"The precise amount is recorded in the supporting files for RTÉ’s annual accounts and audit", the spokesperson said.

The figure is recorded as "termination benefits" for "key management personnel".

According to the annual report, key management personnel are defined as the Director General, individuals on the board, executive and "corporate functions reporting directly to the Director General".

Ms O'Keeffe left RTÉ in March 2020 under a voluntary exit scheme.

In RTÉ's 2019 annual report it paid €600,000 in termination benefits.

In 2021 it was zero, and in 2022 it was €300,000.

Separately, the chairpersons of both the Oireachtas Media Committee and Dáil Public Accounts Committee have said that they are examining the possibility of compelling witnesses to attend.

Chair of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Brian Stanley said there remains a number of individuals that his committee wants to hear from.

Mr Stanley also called for the details of the exit package for former RTÉ executive Rory Coveney to be revealed.

Mr Coveney was RTÉ's director of strategy and resigned from the organisation last year. On Wednesday an Oireachtas committee heard that he was given an "exit package".

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, the Sinn Féin TD said the amount paid to Mr Coveney should be revealed.

Mr Stanley said that he welcomed changes made by the new executive at RTÉ but that it was a mistake to enter into or have confidentiality clauses "around any of these matters".

He criticised what he described as the "drip-feed of information" coming from the broadcaster, adding that all of the information should be put on the table.

"This is not a secret society, this is a public sector broadcaster being funded by the public ... There is a moral obligation for it all to be put on the table," he said.

Mr Stanley also said that people were "shocked and outraged" about the exit package that was received by former chief financial officer Breda O'Keeffe.

Social Democrats TD Róisín Shortall said that Mr Coveney should offer up the relevant information about his exit package.

In relation to Mr Barkhurst's decision not to disclose Mr Coveney's package on legal advice, she said that there "should not be any secrecy surrounding any of these packages".

"This is public money in the main, people who work in public sector organisatons all details in relation to pay, pensions and all of that should be on the public record," Ms Shortall told RTÉ's Today with Claire Byrne.

She said Mr Coveney's decision to step down was considered honourable after the Toy Show The Musical fiasco, so it was a shock to learn that he got a "big golden handshake".

RTÉ Director General Kevin Bakhurst confirmed to the Oireachtas Committee on Media on Wednesday that Ms O'Keeffe was paid €450,000 when she left the organisation.

Yesterday, Minister for Media Catherine Martin said that she was assured by Mr Bakhurst that the payment to Ms O'Keeffe was compliant with the rules and does not need to be reassessed.

However, Mr Stanley said that there was no business case for the deal as it was not a redundancy, but rather a position that was filled.

"The position was filled straight away," he said. "There was no saving whatsoever here. It was her choice to voluntarily exit, one stepped out and another stepped in."

He also said that there was a need for people who have not attended committee meetings so far to come in as they have a lot of the information needed.

"It would be useful for the missing people to come in and hear their side of their story," Mr Stanley said.

"They obviously have a tale to tell and we would like to hear it, that should be available to them at any time in the future.

"There's a situation here that has evolved, as the scandals in RTÉ came out, it was clear for a good time that there were a lot of problems in RTÉ."

Ms Martin spoke to Chair of the RTÉ Board Siún Ní Raghallaigh today.

A spokesperson for the minister said the purpose of the discussion was to "impress upon her [Siún Ní Raghallaigh] once again the need for full disclosure in relation to the exit packages".

Separately, Ms Martin expects to receive an update next week on submission dates for two Government- commissioned reports into RTÉ governance, culture and other matters.

The expert advisory reviews are said to be at an "advanced stage".

Ms Martin has previously said that she expects them to be completed by the end of the month.

However, concern has been expressed by some politicians that the reports might be delayed.

© RTÉ 2024.