Catherine Martin has 'full support' of Cabinet and Government party leaders

Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe also said the Government will consider bringing RTÉ under the remit of the Comptroller and Auditor General

Mr Donohoe also said the Government will consider bringing RTÉ under the remit of the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG).

Media Minister Catherine Martin has the full support of her Cabinet colleagues, Paschal Donohoe has said. 

The Public Expenditure Minister was asked on Monday if Ms Martin would still be in place at the end of the week, to which he replied: "Minister Martin has the full support of myself, our Cabinet colleagues and the party leaders."

Ms Martin will on Tuesday face an Oireachtas committee on the resignation of Siún Ní Raghallaigh, the chairwoman of the RTÉ board.

Ms Ní Raghallaigh resigned some hours after Ms Martin refused to express confidence in her as head of the RTÉ board during an interview on Prime Time.

The minister said she had been misinformed on two occasions about Ms Ní Raghallaigh’s involvement in approving an exit package for a former RTÉ executive.

Ms Martin has faced criticism from the Opposition and from some members of the media Oireachtas committee about comments she made on live TV last Thursday.

Speaking after a citizenship ceremony at the National Concert Hall, Mr Donohoe said that Ms Martin and her officials would be appearing at the Oireachtas media committee on Tuesday, where she would answer questions on the matter.

Catherine Martin. Picture: PA

“Fundamentally, when you are the minister of a department, you are accountable, you are responsible for the work of your department,” Mr Donohoe said.

“But you also need your department to share information with you and to work on your behalf on matters that could be sensitive and of interest to the public and to the Oireachtas. I expect she will be central to the change that we want to make in RTÉ to continue with our efforts for them to regain the trust of the country.” 

Alongside her appearance at the Oireachtas committee, Ms Martin is set to take part in statements on the matter, but not a question and answer session.

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Mr Donohoe also said the Government will consider bringing RTÉ under the remit of the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG). The C&AG is the State’s public spending watchdog, ensuring that public bodies are spending their funding in an appropriate manner and ensuring that they get value for money.

If approved by the Government, RTÉ would face further scrutiny from both the C&AG and the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

“It’s certainly something we are going to have to give consideration to,” Mr Donohoe said. “But as with any decision, it is a decision that has very significant consequences for RTÉ."