RTÉ executives invited to media committee once again

Chairman Brian Stanley TD said he will 'compel' Tubridy, Noel Kelly, and Dee Forbes to attend the PAC. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

RTÉ executives have once again been asked to face a grilling from the Oireachtas media committee.

The committee met yesterday and has decided to formally invite RTÉ executives, who appeared on Wednesday, back next week, with questions remaining about the exact nature of the secret payments to Ryan Tubridy.

An invite has also been extended to former RTÉ board chair Moya Doherty, former director general Noel Curran, and former chief financial officer Breda O’Keeffe to attend a sitting next Wednesday.

A committee source said that the invitation to former director general Dee Forbes “still stands”.

However, there is a sense that Mr Tubridy will turn down an invitation at this point, and he will not be invited just yet.

The chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Brian Stanley, told Newstalk he will compel Mr Tubridy, his agent Noel Kelly, and Ms Forbes to attend, adding that he believes “we’ve a strong enough hand to do it”.

It is not yet clear if any of those invited will take up the invitation, though Ms Doherty did attend the PAC meeting on Thursday with members of the RTÉ board and executive.

RTÉ has been engulfed in crisis after it was revealed last week it had under-reported Mr Tubridy’s salary by a total of €345,000 over the period 2017 to 2022.

There is a sense that Mr Tubridy will turn down an invitation at this point, and he will not be invited just yet. Picture: Damien Storan

The Taoiseach this week suggested that Mr Tubridy should attend the committee and the Government has been open about its desire to see Ms Forbes account for her part in the deal.

Speaking in Brussels, Mr Varadkar said the Government is “trying to get to the bottom of what happened with these unusual, clandestine payments in RTÉ”.

He added: “RTÉ executives and board members have come before an Oireachtas committee to answer questions, but there are other people who could shine a light on this.

“They include Ryan Tubridy, they include his agent [Mr Kelly], they include Dee Forbes and I still think that they should be willing to come before the committee and answer questions.

“There are procedures, they will be treated fairly, and I think that would be the right thing to do from their part.

“They may have a story to tell, I think it is right they should be allowed to tell their side of the story.

“The fact that they wouldn’t, or would refuse to, would be of more concern to me.”

Mr Varadkar later said he is not sure legal privilege should be waived around some of the documents due to be given to the PAC.

There have been questions raised about one particular document — a note taken by an RTÉ legal representative of an online meeting in 2020 between Mr Kelly, Mr Tubridy, and Ms Forbes.

Labour TD Alan Kelly asked that the note be brought to the PAC.

However, RTÉ’s head of legal, Paula Mulloolly, told the committee she “would have an issue” with the document being brought before the committee.