RTE accounts should be subject to auditor scrutiny, says PAC chair

A draft Oireachtas committee report on the financial and governance crisis at RTE calls for the broadcaster’s accounts to be brought back under the oversight of the public auditor, the committee chair has said.

Public Accounts Committee chairman Brian Stanley said a “central recommendation” would be for RTE to come under the scope of the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG).

Sinn Fein TD Mr Stanley, who stressed the final report had yet to be signed off by committee members, said there had to be an end to the “drip feed” of revelations related to the national broadcaster’s accounts.

His comments came after another week of bruising revelations for RTE.

Focus this week has concentrated on exit packages given to former RTE executives.

On Wednesday, it was revealed at the Oireachtas’s Media Committee that a 450,000 euro exit package was given to former RTE chief financial officer Breda O’Keefe without the knowledge of the full executive board.

It also emerged during the committee that Rory Coveney, the former director of strategy at RTE who was behind the flop Toy Show The Musical, received an exit package from RTE as well.

However, director general Kevin Bakhurst has refused to give details of Mr Coveney’s and other executives’ exit packages, citing legal constraints.

Mr Bakhurst is facing intensifying calls to make public the terms of those packages. He is seeking further legal advice on that issue.

Mr Stanley told RTE Radio One that the organisation needed to be more transparent.

“The public are left guessing here, but the facts are is that there shouldn’t be a legal impediment to that, there should be no problem with it,” he said.

“This is not a secret society. This is the public sector broadcaster being funded by the public.”

Several former executives continue to decline invitations to appear before both the Public Accounts and Media committees to give evidence on their role in the various RTE controversies.

Mr Stanley confirmed his committee had sought permission from the Committee for Remit and Oversight to extend its compellability powers to enable it to secure the attendance of certain witnesses.

“It would be useful for those people, for the missing people, to come in,” he said.

“And let’s hear their side of the story. They obviously have a tale to tell. I’d certainly like to hear it and that should be available any time in the future.”

Mr Stanley said RTE’s accounts used to be scrutinised by the C&AG until legislation was changed in the mid-1990s.

The said reverting to the original approach would give the PAC better access to the accounts.

He said the move was a key recommendation of the committee’s draft report on the RTE furore.

“One of the central recommendations is that would be brought back under the remit of the Comptroller and Auditor General,” he said.

“In other words, there would be a double audit and the Public Accounts Committee would have clear oversight of what is going on there.”