Martin 'flabbergasted' by threat of resignation from Ní Raghallaigh
Catherine Martin is appearing before the Media Committee to answer questions following the resignation of Ms Ní Raghallaigh on Friday. Picture: Oireachtas TV
Catherine Martin has said she was left "flabbergasted" after the former RTÉ chair Siún Ní Raghallaigh indicated that she would resign if the minister sent a letter to her as tensions between both simmered over exit packages late last week.
Ms Martin is appearing before the Media Committee to answer questions following the resignation of Ms Ní Raghallaigh on Friday.
"I thought it was maybe a rash comment because it didn't make sense," Ms Martin said.
"It was so astounding of a comment, I couldn't believe that anyone would just refuse to meet and to be afforded the opportunity to talk.
"I reached a place where I felt I couldn't depend on the information that I was receiving," Ms Martin said.
She added that she doesn't believe this was intentional from Ms Ní Raghallaigh but stressed that she was not getting accurate information.
The minister has told the Media Committee that Ms Ní Raghallaigh was not willing to receive a letter from her last week after the Minister became concerned about the information that was provided to her.
"That's quite problematic from a confidence point of view," Ms Martin said.
She added that Ms Ní Raghallaigh did not agree to a meeting but was hoping she would still speak to her last Friday morning.
The Minister has also said she still does not know the details of exit packages given to top officials in RTÉ.
Ms Martin has expressed full confidence in RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst despite several members of the Media Committee stating that they no longer have confidence in him.
"I have confidence in the reforms that are underway, in the reforms that need to happen," she said.
She confirmed that neither she nor officials in her Department know how much was paid to former chief financial officer Richard Collins and other staff who have left the organization.
Ms Martin has told the Media Committee that confidentially clauses attached to the exit packages cannot be breached and there is GDPR issues.
The committee has heard that Mr Bakhurst was in the room when Ms Ní Raghallaigh last week suggested at meetings with the Minister that the board had no role in signing off on exit packages.
Fine Gael senator Micheál Carrigy said he has now has "no confidence" in Mr Bakhurst and said he believes he has been "compromised" after he made "no comment" on that despite the fact that he knew it wasn't correct.
Tipperary TD Mattie McGrath agreed with this.
Ms Martin expressed confidence in Mr Bakhurst and her Department officials whose work has been "24/7" since the RTÉ controversies emerged.
Mr Carrigy it is "difficult to accept" that the Minister thought wouldn't have been asked whether she had confidence in the chair when she went on TV last week.
Earlier, MS Martin said she "wasn't expecting" to be asked if she had confidence in RTÉ chair Siún Ní Raghallaigh during an explosive television interview.
Sinn Féin senator Fintan Warfield suggested that instead of being in a television studio last Thursday evening, Ms Martin should have been "sitting across the table from Suin Ní Raghallaigh".
The Minister said she felt it would have been "wrong" of her to pull out of a media interview.
However, Mr Warfield said that press interviews are cancelled "all of the time" and added: "Are you saying that a press interview was more important than your relationship with the chairperson of the board?"
Mr Warfield said it was "slightly ridiculous" to not expect to be asked if she had confidence in Ms Ní Raghallaigh.
Ms Martin said: "It's hard to really that answer that one because I can't predict what's going to happen in an interview.
"I really wasn't expecting any no-confidence motion, because I was hoping we could meet [the chair] on Friday."
Asked if it was a "decision or a mistake" to effectively sack the chair live on air, she stressed that as a Minister she believes that she has to be truthful.
Mr Warfield suggested it was a "planned effort to get rid of a very capable chairperson", however, Ms Martin refuted this, stating: "At no stage did I say this was intentional."
Earlier, media minister Catherine Martin claimed the former chair of RTÉ’s board, Siún Ní Raghallaigh, misinformed her about the board's work on a number of occasions.
In her opening statement to the Oireachtas media committee, Ms Martin will say that there was “considerable cause for concern” over Ms Ní Raghallaigh’s failure to provide accurate information on the role RTÉ’s board played in approving the exit package of the broadcasters former chief financial officer Richard Collins.
“The failure to provide accurate and timely information gave me considerable cause for concern. Regrettably, this was not the first time that the then Chair had failed to give me a clear account of her and the Board’s work at RTÉ,” Ms Martin will say.
“My relationship, as Media Minister, is through the Chair. This relationship is fundamental to the development of a positive and future for the organisation.
“And confidence in the reliability of communications between both is absolutely critical, particularly at such a sensitive time in the broadcaster’s history.”
Ms Martin said that she sought a meeting with Ms Ní Raghallaigh on Friday to “address the issues directly and openly” and to ensure that there were no further miscommunications.
However, this meeting did not take place due to Ms Ní Raghallaigh’s resignation in the early hours of Friday, following Ms Martin’s failure to express confidence in the RTÉ board chair on Prime Time.
In the statement, Ms Martin defends this appearance, saying that it had been planned from two days earlier and she intended to discuss the future funding of public service media.
“Clearly, I would much prefer if I could have had that meeting with Siún Ní Raghallaigh on Friday and I do regret that she chose to resign rather than have that discussion,” Ms Martin will add.
She will say that her current priority is the appointment of a new chair of RTÉ, adding that this will be progressed with Cabinet colleagues “as soon as possible”. Ms Martin will also confirm that she will meet with the RTÉ board in the coming days.
“I look forward to engaging positively and constructively with them to ensure our collective objective is progressed and we ensure a vibrant, stable, sustainable national broadcaster that future generations of Irish people need and deserve,” Ms Martin will conclude.
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