Scope of review to be widened as RTÉ staff told to disclose commercial activities

An RTÉ spokesperson confirmed the move is 'in response to a range of requests' from Oireachtas committees. Picture: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Staff at RTÉ have been asked to provide details of any commercial activity they have been involved with as the scandal at the broadcaster deepens.

It comes as the scope of an external review of the culture, pay, and governance structure at RTÉ is expected to be revealed by the Government on Tuesday. Cabinet is also expected to give powers to an independent reviewer to examine years of RTÉ's financial books in an “unprecedented” forensic audit.

Media Minister Catherine Martin said on Tuesday that the scope of the review at RTÉ is to be widened.

Ms Martin confirmed the move as she arrived at Government Buildings in Dublin on Tuesday morning for a Cabinet meeting.

The terms of reference for the external review of the public service broadcaster are set to be signed off at Cabinet today.

“In the midst of all this controversy I think it’s important that we don’t lose sight of the importance of public service broadcasting,” Ms Martin told reporters.

“This external review is about rebuilding the trust with the people, with staff and making sure we get answers that are needed.

What I can say ahead of my discussions with Cabinet colleagues is, having had extensive engagement with stakeholders, I have decided to broaden the scope of this examination.

Ms Martin said the move to widen the scope of the review of RTÉ will not extend the timeline for completing the probe. She said she had had extensive engagement with RTÉ staff and their representatives prior to making the decision.

Senior managers at RTÉ were told on Monday that they must provide details of all the occasions that staff and contractors requested permission for external activities, such as commercial activity or charity events, in the last three years.

An RTÉ spokesperson confirmed the move is "in response to a range of requests" from the joint Oireachtas media committee and the Public Accounts Committee following last week's meetings. 

Media Minister Catherine Martin is to unveil the terms of reference for the RTÉ review on Tuesday. Picture: Eamonn Farrell/Rollingnews.ie

Teams in radio and TV were approached by their editors and told to make a list if they had accepted or taken part in any such activity.

RTÉ contractors and staff are obliged to adhere to the broadcaster’s journalism guidelines, which state that presenters must not promote commercial ventures with which they are associated or from which they stand to gain financially.

Late on Monday night, discussions on the terms of reference for the review went on among the Coalition leaders Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Tánaiste Micheál Martin, and Green Party leader Eamon Ryan. Ms Martin is to unveil the full detail of the review on Tuesday.

It will focus on culture, pay, and the governance structure at the embattled broadcaster.

“We want to get this right and ensure the terms of reference are thorough and robust to focus on the major issues,” said a senior source.

“If the scope is too wide, it might not achieve anything.”