Anonymity given in Toy Show The Musical report lifted following criticism
The anonymity given to most RTÉ executives and board members in an independent report on has been lifted following calls for accountability.
The report into the musical, which recorded a €2.2m loss after a single season in 2022, found that the proposal had required board approval — but it was not sought or provided.
It also found there was “no justification” for the way the broadcaster recorded €75,000 in advertising money and that the musical would have struggled to break even under the proposed number of shows.
Grant Thornton, who compiled the report into the musical, did not publish any names and referred to those interviewed in the report as ‘Person 1’ through to ‘Person 26’.
This was met with criticism from various quarters, including from Media Minister Catherine Martin, who said “you find yourself as you’re reading it nearly trying to work out who was who”.
On Tuesday, the board said Ms Martin and two Oireachtas committees had requested that the anonymity given would be lifted.
RTÉ then asked Grant Thornton if it could facilitate these requests.
“Grant Thornton subsequently contacted each individual included in the report to ask if they would consent to their anonymity being removed,” it said.
Twenty of those who were interviewed agreed to their names being included in the report but it added that in line with its standard practice, "the names of staff below executive level in RTÉ will continue to be redacted.”
The names revealed include former RTÉ chair Moya Doherty, former RTÉ director of strategy Rory Coveney, and several current board members including Daire Hickey, Susan Ahern, PJ Matthews, and audit and risk committee (ARC) chair Anne O’Leary.
The new report shows the majority of current and former board members were of the opinion that the ill-fated musical had required full board approval before it could be staged, something which was never sought from nor given by the board.
It now transpires that a board member who was recorded in the report as believing that no formal approval was generally required for projects where a “consensus was reached” was former chair Ms Doherty.
She said that “no objections” had been raised at board level regarding the €2.7m budgeted musical.
“The practice at Board meetings was to reach consensus if possible and if a consensus was reached no formal vote was taken,” she told Grant Thornton.
This contrasts with what other now-identified board members had said of the approval process, with Mr Hickey noting that “absolutely” the musical should have required full board approval.
“The matter/project was not put to the board for approval," Ms Ahern said, while ARC chair Anne O’Leary stated: “There was no approval implied or otherwise. The project was presented as a fait accompli.”
Robert Shortt also said: “As an individual board member, I can categorically state I was never asked for my approval."
RTÉ board members are due to appear before the media committee on Wednesday afternoon and “are happy to discuss” the report.
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