PAC to refer RTÉ to minister over bogus self-employment settlement

The State broadcaster has repeatedly refused to reveal the scope of the settlement it made with Revenue over contracts for freelance staff who 'had developed attributes more akin to employment'

RTÉ offered 82 of its staff who had been working freelance, in some cases for several years, permanent contracts after an independent review concluded that those workers had “developed attributes more akin to employment”. File Picture: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin

RTÉ has been accused of attempting to “run down the clock” with regard to its failure to clarify the amount of a settlement it made with the Revenue Commissioners over its use of bogus self employed contracts.

The State broadcaster came in for harsh criticism at this morning’s meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) after it insisted that the nature of its “voluntary qualifying disclosure” to Revenue could not be made publicly available.

The issue stems from the PAC meeting with RTÉ on April 27, when the broadcaster denied on three occasions that a settlement payment had been made to Revenue, before acknowledging, at the fourth time of asking, that one had been made.

RTÉ had offered 82 of its staff who had been working freelance, in some cases for several years, permanent contracts after an independent review by consultants Eversheds Sutherland in 2018 had concluded that those workers had “developed attributes more akin to employment”.

Sinn Féin’s Imelda Munster told the PAC meeting that not revealing the payment “doesn’t do RTÉ any favours”.

She said the broadcaster had “been dragging its heels, hoping to run down the clock” without having to provide an answer to the committee before the Dáil’s summer break on July 14.

“Let’s call it what it is: it’s bogus self employment,” Ms Munster said of the fact so many workers had been working on self-employed contracts while fulfilling a role which should have entitled them to a direct contract.

“I’m glad that RTÉ journalists are better at getting answers than their management are at giving them because otherwise the Six:One news would last about four minutes in the evening,” Sinn Féin’s Matt Carthy told the hearing.

“I don’t think this is acceptable. We cannot let this drop until we have got full engagement. When there’s even a suggestion of increased transparency, the reaction is that “this can’t be done”.

The committee agreed to write to RTÉ once more seeking clarity on the payment and also to raise its “frustration” regarding the matter with the Minister for Media Catherine Martin. The most recent correspondence between the committee and RTÉ was dated June 8. RTÉ has yet to respond.

“I don’t think it’s any harm if we flag our frustration,” Ms Munster said. 

“Now we see they think they can ignore the committee and our request for information."

Comptroller and Auditor General Seamus McCarthy, a permanent witness to PAC, said he thought it unlikely that Revenue itself would release the scope of the payment. 

“Revenue would be very reluctant to discuss the affairs of any taxpayer,” he said.

Committee chair Brian Stanley meanwhile said that the broadcaster “is a public body, it depends on public funding”.

“There has to be some level of accountability,” he said.