LAST UPDATE | 4 Jul 2023
TWO FURTHER BARTER accounts are understood to have been found as part of a review of RTÉ’s finances.
The finding was confirmed by RTÉ this evening, with the broadcaster’s news department reporting “indications” that the additional barter accounts relate to Toy Show the Musical.
Minister Catherine Martin expected to be fully briefed on the matter this evening.
Documents released by the broadcaster ahead of the appearance of its representatives at the Oireachtas Media Committee tomorrow also reveal RTÉ’s former Director General Dee Forbes told Ryan Tubridy in 2020 that his pay would not be reduced by RTÉ.
The national broadcaster has been embroiled in a secret payments scandal for the last week after they revealed that they paid Tubridy €345,000 more than it had publicly disclosed in recent years.
Since then, other revelations have come to light, including the fact that RTÉ spent €138,000 on IRFU season tickets and €111,000 on travel and accommodation for the Rugby World Cup via a “barter account”.
A spokesperson for Catherine Martin told The Journal: “The Minister is aware the board of RTÉ met this evening and notes comments on behalf of the board. She is awaiting an update from the Chair.
“If there are any further developments of concern, they will be included in the forthcoming external Examination initiated by the Minister today.”
In a statement to The Journal, a spokesperson for RTÉ said: “RTÉ will provide comment and context regarding these barter accounts at tomorrow’s JOC meeting.”
After 11pm, RTÉ sent a document explaining the use of the three barter accounts.
In its explanation, it said: “It is important to note that the use of barter accounts is commonplace in the advertising industry. They are used by RTÉ solely in the context of its commercial activity of selling advertising airtime.
“A barter account may be used for the purpose of hospitality and entertainment in relation to advertising clients/media agencies to ensure that RTÉ can continue to increase its advertising revenue and to retain it going forward. This is entirely legitimate. Moreover, this model is commonly used by competitors and is standard industry wide.”
RTÉ representatives are due to appear before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht tomorrow afternoon at 1.30pm.
It has been confirmed that the former RTÉ chief financial officer Breda O Keeffe will attend tomorrow’s committee along with former chair Moya Doherty.
At the Public Accounts Committee last week, Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy asked RTÉ’s chief financial officer Richard Collins whether there was “a list of barter accounts”.
“No, there is only one barter account,” Collins said in response.
A letter released by RTÉ ahead of its appearance before tomorrow’s committee shows how Dee Forbes told Tubridy in July 202 that he would see no reduction in his pay up to 2025.
“The purpose of this correspondence is to record in writing our guarantee and undertaking that the fees set out in this Agreement will be paid by RTÉ without any reductions and RTÉ shall not make any request or enquiry from you in relation to a reduction in the agreed fees during the currency of the Agreement save as to those that might be imposed by changes to legislation,” she wrote.
Labour’s media spokesperson, Senator Marie Sherlock, has called for senior management at RTÉ to “get all their ducks in a row” before they appear before the Oireachtas this week.
“There is now an existential threat to our national broadcaster, and we cannot allow it to implode on itself,” she said in a statement.
“News breaking this evening that at least one more barter account is in use in the organisation is shocking for the public and gut wrenching for workers at RTÉ who have fought with management for additional crews and resources.
“Every day something new is breaking from RTÉ. In order to safeguard its future, we need RTÉ to put absolutely everything on the table tomorrow.”
It comes after Minister Martin today announced that the Government is launching two independent reviews into the culture at RTÉ, and its relationships with external contractors respectively.
A forensic accountant is also being appointed to examine RTÉ financial records.
Meanwhile, the chair of the Public Accounts Committee told the Dáil today that invites will be sent to Ryan Tubridy, Dee Forbes, Noel Kelly and three other key players in RTÉ to appear before the committee this week, and that they will be compelled to do so if they refuse.
“We expect all six to attend. Their knowledge of what occurred in RTÉ over the year is invaluable,” Brian Stanley said.
“We will use our powers to compel them, but they should do the decent thing as public servants to show up, that’s what we are calling on them to do”.
Elsewhere this evening, RTÉ has submitted documents to the Oireachtas Media Committee ahead of its appearance tomorrow. These documents were requested by the committee last week.
One of the documents provided to the committee relates to RTÉ’s top 100 earners. However, due to data privacy reasons, the names of the earners have been anonymised.
RTÉ’s interim director general Adrian Lynch told the committee last week that a number of individuals have contacted RTÉ’s Data Protection Office to register their concern and have objected to the proposed publication of their personal data.
“RTÉ is mindful of its obligations to the committee but is also mindful of obligations to its staff and, accordingly, we are taking advice in respect of these competing obligations before proceeding further,” he said.
Data on the top 100 earners relate to 84 employees and 16 contractors. Of those, 10 people are executives, 59 people hold other management roles and 31 are presenters. The top salaries range from €515,000 to €116,851.
Documents relating to Renault’s deal with Ryan Tubridy from October 2020 to 31 December 2021 have also been provided to the committee.
They detail Tubridy’s events with Renault, which were to take place on 8 September 2021, 6 October 2021 and 8 December 2021.
Renault committed to reimbursing expenses “provided such expenses have been agreed in advance and shall not exceed €500″.
They also agreed not to “do or say anything that will bring The Talent into disrepute”.
It shows that the agreement was signed by NK Management, on behalf of Ryan Tubridy, on 21 April 2023.
Correspondence between former director general Dee Forbes and Tubridy related to the agreement has also been provided.
“The purpose of this correspondence is to record in writing our guarantee and undertaking that the fees set out in this Agreement will be paid by RTÉ without any reductions and RTÉ shall not make any request or enquiry from you in relation to a reduction in the agreed fees during the currency of the Agreement save as to those that might be imposed by changes to legislation,” it reads.
Other documents sent to the committee include Patrick Kielty’s contract for The Late Late Show, documents relating to the tri-partite agreement and details of discounts supplied to RTÉ’s commercial partners.
The committee also asked for a ten-year record of the first barter account, clarification about where barter account was used since 2016 and full expenditure relating to Toy Show The Musical.
However, these documents were not supplied as they were still being financially verified.
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