Varadkar: Public wants to know the exact nature of RTÉ exit packages 

Taoiseach says state broadcaster must provide 'full transparency' to the extent that is legally possible

Leo Varadkar said he does have confidence in director general Kevin Bakhurst, pictured above, and chair of RTÉ’s board Siun Ni Raghallaig. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said the Government and the public want to know exactly the nature of exit packages RTÉ paid to former staff members.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference, Mr Varadkar said what is essential is that RTÉ provides “full transparency” to the extent that is legally possible.

He said: “The public and the Government want to know exactly what the nature of these exit packages were.

“Where some are early retirements, we want to know how it was calculated.

“Where it was a redundancy exit package, we want to be assured that there were real savings here, that these posts were not backfilled and were genuine redundancies,” he said.

Mr Varadkar said he was not going to discuss anyone’s individual remuneration when asked about former director of strategy Rory Coveney’s exit package.

He said he does have confidence in director general Kevin Bakhurst and chair of RTÉ’s board Siun Ni Raghallaig, saying both are doing a good job in difficult circumstances.

He added that Mr Bakhurst is doing his very best to stabilise the organisation and it was important to give him and the chair support.

Mr Varadkar said there are rules and procedures as to how semi-state bodies interact with the Government and it is not standard practice for the Government to sign off on individual packages.

He dismissed comments by Mr Bakhurst in which he said during a radio interview on Monday that he was being asked by legal representatives to break the law.

Mr Varadkar said that was not the case.

The Taoiseach said that there should be a cap on exit payments and that confidentiality clauses should be “avoided where possible". 

Earlier, Tánaiste Micheál Martin questioned why confidentiality agreements were entered into between RTÉ and a number of senior executives who have since left the organisation.

Mr Martin said that "in any public sector area where taxpayers' money is involved or public money is involved, as is in this case, there should be full transparency in exit packages".

Speaking as he arrived at Cabinet on Tuesday, Mr Martin said he accepts "confidentiality agreements have been entered into and that is difficult".

However, he said, "maybe the question should be asked as to why they were entered into in the first place".

Asked about individuals involved, the Tánaiste said he was reluctant to personalise this to individuals, adding that "across many sectors, people have built-in exit packages when they leave".

Instead, he said: "I think it's the broader principle I'm focused on maybe rather than individuals."