LAST UPDATE | 4 Jul 2023
MINISTER FOR MEDIA Catherine Martin has said she intends to broaden the scope of the the external review being arranged of RTÉ, which is an effort to begin “rebuilding trust” with the public and staff members.
The terms of reference for an external review panel which will examine the affairs of RTÉ are expected to be approved by Cabinet today.
If approved, it is understood it will only take a short period of time to put the external review panel in place.
Speaking to reporters on her way to the Cabinet meeting, Minister Martin said that “in the midst of all this controversy, I think it’s important we don’t lose sight of the importance of public service broadcasting”.
“This external review is about rebuilding the trust with the people, with the staff, and making sure we get answers that are needed,” she said.
“What I can say is ahead of my discussion with Cabinet colleagues is that having had extensive engagement with stakeholders, I have decided to broaden the scope of this examination.
“I briefed the party leaders last night and they are happy with the approach that I’m proposing and I will now go in to Cabinet and discuss that approach with my Cabinet colleagues.”
Minister Martin is expected to use her powers under Ireland’s Broadcasting Act to appoint a designated auditor to examine RTÉ’s accounts.
Under legislation currently in place, the auditor can look back over any financial year or any other time period at the national broadcaster.
Martin acknowledged her powers in relation to appointing an auditor but would not confirm the plans this morning, saying: “Under Section 109 of the Broadcasting Act, I do have powers there and I will be discussing my intention in relation to that with Cabinet colleagues but I don’t want to pre-empt Cabinet discussions.”
In announcing the external review last week, the minister said its purpose would be to determine what fundamental or systemic issues need to be addressed, including the adequacy of internal controls.
Martin has said she needs assurance that the governance and culture at the broadcaster are fit for purpose.
RTÉ has been embroiled in controversy following revelations last month that it under-reported the salary paid to star presenter Ryan Tubridy, failing to disclose €345,000 worth of additional payments to him between 2017 and 2022.
Speaking yesterday about the scandal, Tánaiste Micheál Martin said: “I think we are concerned in terms of how the culture of the agent seems to have been predominant over the collective so to speak.”
“There’s always a balance between the personality, the predominance of personality in broadcasting and in journalism, by definition that is a fact.
“But the balance perhaps has clearly gone the wrong way. And in terms of public service broadcasting, I think we need to rebalance that.”
The Oireachtas Media Committee has also decided to formally invite Tubridy and his agent Noel Kelly to appear before it to answer question about the scandal.
Ex-RTÉ board chair Moya Doherty, ex-Director General Noel Curran and ex-CFO Breda O’Keeffe have also been invited.
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Helen McEntee is set to tell Cabinet of a 70% drop in arrivals from so-called ‘safe countries of origin’.
The designation applies to countries deemed to be safe for the purposes of asylum applications, precluding arrivals from those countries from obtaining refugee status.
McEntee’s department announced earlier this year that it would formally review the designation given to all eight countries currently on the list.
Ministers will be informed that the number of International Protection applicants arriving into Ireland from such countries has decreased sharply since she introduced new processes last year.
They included a new, accelerated immigration process for those who arrive in Ireland from such countries seeking International Protection.
The changes were designed to ensure a first instance decision was made within three months in such cases, a reduction from a norm of 17 to 24 months last year.
Since last November, the numbers arriving from these countries have decreased from 210 applications in November to 64 in May this year – a drop of almost 70%.
Today, the minister will bring a memo to Government on plans for the modernisation of the International Protection Office.
In light of the significant number of increases in the number of International Protection applicants in 2022, the memo proposes increasing the output of the office.
A new target of 1,000 first instance decisions being issued per month by spring 2024 will be adopted, a significant rise in the 200 decisions per month made in 2021.
The Government will also continue to strive to process priority cases in less than three months.
Ministers will be told that the IPO is already achieving 750 decisions per month now, with the aim to increase this further.
At the end of June, a total of 344 staff were assigned to the IPO – an increase of 201 from 143 in 2019. A further 24 staff will also join in the coming weeks, and the intention is 430 staff will be working in the IPO by the end of the year.
Eamon Ryan, Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, along with Simon Coveney, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment will bring a memo to Government today to greatly enhance and extend the range of supports available for the installation of solar PV for businesses.
The new tiered grant system will range from €2,700 up to €162,500 to support the installation of solar PV and associated smart energy infrastructure for a wide range of commercial and public sector non-residential buildings.
They will support PV installations ranging from 7kWp, suitable to the energy capacity of smaller SMEs or professional businesses like solicitors or dentists, up to 1MW, which might be more suitable to the energy capacity of larger businesses like a pharmaceutical plant or a large retail outlet.
The grants will come into effect quickly so that businesses can install solar panels early to offset energy costs. The new scheme will be in place until the end of 2025 at least.
Separately, Tánaiste Micheál Martin and Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien will seek approval to join other States in calling for a “precautionary pause” on deep-sea mining on the international seabed as part of the ‘Partnership for the Deep Sea’.
Under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the mineral resources of the deep seabed beyond national jurisdictions are vested in mankind as a whole.
The Convention established the International Seabed Authority to regulate exploration and exploitation of mineral resources on the international seabed.
It is understood that there are efforts by some States and the mining industry to begin exploiting these resources, despite the fact negotiations on a mining code, including environmental regulations, are expected to take a number of years to complete.
A growing number of countries, including EU partners, are calling for a “precautionary pause” of deep-sea mining on the international seabed due to concerns about the effects deep-sea mining could have on the marine environment and biodiversity.
Ireland will send a delegation to the annual meeting of the ISA in July, and in advance of this it is proposed that the Government announce support for a “precautionary pause”.
Deep-sea mining operations are those that typically occur below depths of 200 metres. Demand has seen deep-sea deposits of metal ores being considered for commercial exploitation.
These include cobalt, manganese, nickel, gold, silver, copper and zinc.
Although no mineral exploration or mining activity is envisaged on the Irish seabed, nor is any Irish company engaged in seabed mining activity, as a party to the 1982 Convention, Ireland is a member of the ISA.
The State will participate at annual meetings of the ISA Council and Assembly in July.
O’Brien will also update Cabinet today on the impact planning guidelines to address institutional investment in housing has had.
He will bring a memo on the planning conditions that he introduced two years ago which preventing the bulk sale of houses and duplexes.
Ministers will be told that in the two years since, 31,000 houses and duplexes have been ring-fenced for individual buyers and restricted from bulk buying or multiple sales to a single purchaser.
Other than memos pertaining to RTÉ, the budget, housing and international protection applicants, Cabinet will today approve that Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe should see the responsibility for overseeing the political standards watchdog returned to his office.
The Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo) decided that a complaint made against him regarding donations from businessman Michael Stone is now closed and that no further action will be taken.
Donohoe came under fire in January after it was revealed by the Sunday Independent that Stone had paid six people to put up election posters for him during the 2016 campaign.
These services, valued at approximately €1,057, were said to be given as a donation to the Fine Gael Dublin Central office.
Under Sipo rules, all donations to individual candidates are capped at €1,000.
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