Government summons RTÉ bosses to explain golden handshakes for top staff 

Arts Minister Catherine Martin has called RTÉ Director General Kevin Bakhurst, and the Chair of the Board, Siún Ní Raghallaigh, to meet with her in the Department on Monday 

14/11/2023 Dublin Ireland. A stop sign at the RTE buildings in Donnybrook. RTƒ's Director General is to publish the organisation's new strategic vision later today, which includes a plan to reduce the workforce at the national broadcaster by up to 400 by 2028. Photo: Leah Farrell/© RollingNews.ie

Arts Minister Catherine Martin has summoned the heads of RTÉ to explain the circumstances around golden handshakes for top executives at the broadcaster.

RTÉ on Saturday released a statement to clarify the exit packages of senior staff, but did not say how much each had received.

Among the details included in the latest statement from the broadcaster is confirmation that Rory Coveney, former director of strategy, was given an exit payment upon leaving last summer.

Responding to pressure to clarify the status surrounding exit payments for senior staff, RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst on Sunday issued a statement detailing the packages given to four people who left the organisation in the last year.

Two of those four received payouts upon leaving.

Ms Martin has called RTÉ Director General Kevin Bakhurst, and the Chair of the Board, Siún Ní Raghallaigh, to meet with her in the Department on Monday morning.

A spokesperson for Ms Martin said: "The Minister will re-emphasise that transparency is essential in rebuilding trust amongst staff and the public in RTÉ and is also of particular importance as discussions continue at senior Government level on the future funding model for public service media."

RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst 

Mr Bakhurst's statement said that former head of commercial Geraldine O’Leary and former head of legal Paula Mullooly had both left the broadcaster of their own volition, the former into retirement and the latter to pursue another opportunity, and that neither of them had received an exit payment.

Mr Bakhurst said that the role of RTÉ’s former director of strategy Rory Coveney, who left the broadcaster last July in the wake of revelations that Toy Show: The Musical had made a €2.2m loss, had been “suppressed” and thus “an exit payment was offered by RTÉ and accepted by Rory”.

He said that, since the role would not be backfilled, “RTÉ will recoup that payment by July of this year”.