RTÉ scandal: Five things we now know — and five things we don't

RTÉ board chairwoman Siún Ní Raghallaigh told Fine Gael TD Brendan Griffin she had asked Dee Forbes to resign after Grant Thornton suggested the move. Picture: Oireachtas TV

The appearance of RTÉ executives in front of the Oireachtas media committee shone some light on the governance issues surrounding its pay deal with Ryan Tubridy, but questions still remain.

The committee meeting was at times tetchy and threw up a number of contradictions, but there were, at least, some questions answered.

Here’s what we found out and what remains outstanding for the public accounts committee (PAC) to ask today.

Five things we learned

RTÉ's chief financial officer Richard Collins; board staff representative Robert Shortt; interim deputy director general Adrian Lynch; RTÉ Chairwoman of the board Siún Ní Raghallaigh; strategy director Rory Coveney; board member Anne O'Leary, and RTÉ commercial director Geraldine O'Leary leaving Wednesday's media committee hearing on the controversy around Ryan Tubridy's misreported salary payments. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA

1. The RTÉ board asked for Dee Forbes to resign.

Ms Forbes announced on Monday that she would leave her role, which she had been due to leave in July, immediately.

However, the chairwoman of the RTÉ board told the committee that she asked for Ms Forbes to step down six days before the scandal around overpayments to Ryan Tubridy became public.

Siún Ní Raghallaigh told Fine Gael TD Brendan Griffin that she had asked Ms Forbes to resign after receiving a report from Grant Thornton which suggested the move.

The statement was in contradiction to an earlier comment by Ms Ní Raghallaigh that she only accepted Ms Forbes’ resignation because the former director general had released a media statement announcing her immediate resignation on Monday of this week.

The resignation Ms Forbes meant she could not be compelled to attend Oireachtas committees, to the frustration of TDs.

2. The Arts, Culture, and Media Minister wasn’t told:

Despite meeting with Ms Ní Raghallaigh, Minister Catherine Martin was not told the board had asked for Ms Forbes’ resignation some eight days previously.

Ms Ní Raghallaigh didn’t expand on why she hadn’t flagged this with the minister, but it is sure to have raised alarm bells with Ms Martin.

3. The €120,000 Ryan Tubridy overpayment was “an adjustment”:

A €120,000 loyalty bonus which had been due to Ryan Tubridy but was not paid “for some reason” is under investigation and represents the overpayment to Mr Tubridy between 2017 and 2019.

RTÉ Chief Financial Officer Richard Collins said that the understated amounts paid to Mr Tubridy were “an adjustment to figures”.

“This was an adjustment that was made to the figures. Basically, in short, Ryan Tubridy was due a loyalty bonus at the end of his contract of €120,000.

“That was never paid, was never accrued from the accounts, but for an unexplained reason that €120,000 was credited against his earnings between 2017 and 2019. That’s under investigation at the moment by Grant Thornton.”

4. There was a “cultural” issue at RTÉ

Ms Ní Raghallaigh said that the issue at RTÉ had been one of governance breakdown and a culture that accepted the words of the director general.

“Culture comes from the top down and there’s a role for the executive board now to actually own what the issues are here and discuss it with the board,” she said.

5. It’s “impossible” for Ryan Tubridy to return to the airwaves at the minute:

Interim director general Adrian Lynch said that it “is impossible for Ryan Tubridy to be back on air” due to “editorial reasons”.

Five things we still don't know

RTÉ executives and board members being questioned by the Oireachtas media committee over the handling of hidden payments to presenter Ryan Tubridy. Picture: Oireachtas TV

1. Why wasn’t the minister told that Dee Forbes had been asked to resign?

Ms Ní Raghallaigh was not pushed to account for the fact that she did not report this fact to the Government or Minister Martin.

2. Who knew about the Tubridy deal and when?

The committee was told that Ryan Tubridy announced his departure from the Late Late Show on March 16, one day before the issues with his pay had been flagged by auditors.

However, the committee later heard from Mr Collins that the issue had been flagged in “early March”. When in March was it flagged and who knew?

3. How much is new Late Late Show host Patrick Kielty being paid?

There was considerable interest in the question of Mr Kielty’s pay and the RTÉ executive said that they could, with his permission, make this public by the end of the week. It is likely to be published in the coming days.

4. Is Ryan Tubridy under contract?

RTÉ said in a statement during broadcasting on Wednesday that Mr Tubridy was out of contract when he left the Late Late Show.

This was repeated during the committee until, right at the end of proceedings, Mr Lynch said that the presenter is “being paid under the radio part of his contract” which was split. Which is it?

5. Will Mr Tubridy be back?

A question that can perhaps not be answered this week, but one that people are asking. Will Ryan Tubridy ever present on RTÉ again?