Catherine Martin ‘could not depend on info from chair’
Media Minister Catherine Martin speaks during a press conference at the Government Buildings in Dublin. Picture date: Friday February 23, 2024.
The relationship between Catherine Martin and the former RTÉ board chair had soured to such an extent that Siún Ní Raghallaigh refused to receive letters from the Media Minister before she finally resigned.
Ms Martin was left "flabbergasted" after Ms Ní Raghallaigh indicated that she would resign if the Minister sent a letter to her as tensions between both women simmered over RTÉ exit packages late last week.
Despite this warning, Ms Martin sent the letter. Ms Ní Raghallaigh was also informed that the Minister was appearing on RTÉ's PrimeTime prgramme last Thursday and was warned that if asked, she would "not conceal" the issues.
During a lengthy meeting of the Media Committee last night, Ms Martin described the refusal to accept her letter as "quite problematic from a confidence point of view".
"I thought it was maybe a rash comment because it didn't make sense," Ms Martin said.
"It was so astounding of a comment, I couldn't believe that anyone would just refuse to meet and to be afforded the opportunity to talk."
Defending the decision to send the letter to Ms Ní Raghallaigh just hours before she tendered her resignation, Ms Martin said she was "hoping she would change her mind" and would attend a meeting the following morning.
During two meetings early last week Ms Ní Raghallaigh she had no role in signing off on the exit package of former chief financial officer Richard Collins.
However, Ms Ní Raghallaigh then contacted a senior Department official at around 10am last Thursday to clarify that the remuneration committee, which she chaired, had in fact approved the package.
Pressed on the working relationship between the Minister and the person who should have been her main line of communication with RTÉ, Ms Martin said: "I reached a place where I felt I couldn't depend on the information that I was receiving."
She added that she doesn't believe this was intentional from Ms Ní Raghallaigh but stressed that she was not getting accurate details.
Ms Martin claimed that she "wasn't expecting" to be asked if she had confidence in Ms Ní Raghallaigh during an explosive television interview on Thursday night.
Sinn Féin senator Fintan Warfield said it was "slightly ridiculous" not to expect a confidence question.
Asked if it was a "decision or a mistake" to effectively sack the chair live on air, she stressed that as a Minister she believes that she has to be truthful.
Mr Warfield suggested it was a "planned effort to get rid of a very capable chairperson".
Ms Martin also confirmed that she still does not know the details of exit packages given to top officials in RTÉ.
She said confidentiality clauses attached to exit packages cannot be breached and there are GDPR issues.
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