RTÉ has published the first breakdown of details from its new Register of External Activities, which covers the months of February and March 2024.The figures confirm that a total of 133 activities were approved and they break down into the following payment bands:Of those 133, 50% yielded no payment or no benefit.A total of 26% were within the €1 - €1,000 payment band, while 22% were placed in the €1,001 - €5,000 payment band.Between 1-2% were within the €5,001 - €10,000 bracket, while less than 1% of external activities were in the €10,000 band.The new system was introduced in the wake of the controversies at RTÉ, when the apparent lack of transparency around external activities involving RTÉ employees was criticised.It covers the five main editorial divisions of RTÉ: News and Current Affairs, Sport, Content (TV), Radio 1 and Raidío na Gealtachta and RTÉ 2FM/Lyric fm/Gold.In each division, a group of senior line managers decides whether to approve or not approve an application to engage in an external activity.External activities are typically 'once-off' activities, such as to MC an event, launch an event or product, speak at a conference, etc.RTÉ Director General Kevin Bakhurst said the broadcaster had initially planned to publish summary details including the name of the person who received approval, a brief description of the activity approved and the relevant payment band for each activity approved.However, the Data Protection Commission has advised RTÉ that in order to publish a public register containing this level of detail, specific legal underpinning in the form of primary or secondary legislation will be required.He said that "in the interim, the DPC has not raised any concerns with the aggregated statistical summary we are publishing today, which provides a level of transparency that would not have been possible prior to the commencement of the Register.Mr Bakhurst also said "it is notable that half of all approved activities did not involve any payment or benefit."These are events where those working with RTÉ give freely of their time for charitable, sporting, community, academic and social reasons," he said.Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said the redacted register does not show full transparency.Ms McDonald was asked about the register at the party's housing policy launch in Dublin this morning.While she said she could not comment on the detail of the matter, she said it did not show transparency. 18-"Certainly, I think to be fully transparent and then for that to be the the aim and then to redact so much material, I don't think that builds confidence in the information coming forward. So no, that's very unsatisfactory," she said.
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