Micheál Martin: RTÉ's lack of transparency 'difficult to comprehend'

Taoiseach says the focus needs to be on the reform, economic efficiencies, and sustainability of the public service broadcaster

Micheál Martin was speaking to RTÉ after Fianna Fáil's 100th ard fheis. Picture Conor McCabe

 

It is “difficult to comprehend” why there wasn’t full clarity and transparency around presenter pay at RTÉ earlier, the Taoiseach has said, as the national broadcaster faces into another week of political scrutiny.

Micheál Martin said the Government makes a significant contribution to public service broadcasting in Ireland, and he welcomed the transparency from RTÉ despite it becoming embroiled in another payments scandal late last week.

“It's difficult to comprehend why it didn't happen earlier, and I think the minister is anxious that the line would be drawn under all of these kind of revelations, or whatever one would like to describe them as,” Mr Martin told RTÉ radio.

“And I think that the focus needs to be on the reforms, and in terms of economic efficiencies, and making sure that we have sustainability in terms of the public service broadcaster.” 

On Thursday, it emerged that well-known presenter and producer Derek Mooney had been mistakenly excluded from RTÉ’s annual list of top ten earners.

It was also revealed that Claire Byrne and Ray D’Arcy were paid a combined €97,000 after they ceased presenting their programmes.

Three years on from the grilling of top RTÉ personnel in Leinster House amid the fallout of it under-reporting payments to presenter Ryan Tubridy, director general Kevin Bakhurst and deputy director general Adrian Lynch will field questions from the Oireachtas Media Committee on Wednesday.

Separately, media minister Patrick O’Donovan will meet with Mr Bakhurst and other executives on Tuesday, having warned that RTÉ risks losing public confidence for the second time in less than three years. Last Friday, Mr O’Donovan said: 

I just want to know what is the bottom line, hook, line, and sinker. What are the public on the hook for here?

It’s understood that staff at RTÉ will also seek meetings with management to seek clarity over its high-earners list and how it is put together, as the latest controversy has seen staff morale take another hit after a turbulent few years at the broadcaster.

It comes as new figures suggest 200 people at RTÉ were being paid more than €100,000 per year at the end of 2025.

18 people on more than €200k 

New figures from the broadcaster detail how 18 people were on more than €200,000 on December 31.

Of those, 12 were in a pay band between €225,000 and €300,000 – but RTÉ declined to give any detailed breakdown of the highest earners.

It said to provide more detail could identify specific individuals, in a decision made on foot of an FOI request.

There were six people who were paid between €200,000 and €225,000 and a further nine who got payments of between €175,000 and €200,000.

The figures were not broken down according to staff member or contractors, but they do include RTÉ’s highest earning presenters.

A total of 13 people were paid between €150,000 and €175,000 while 27 were in a band between €130,000 and €150,000.

The figures also showed 24 people earned between €120,000 and €130,000.

In the range of €110,000 to €120,000, there were 59 people and in the band between €100,000 and €110,000, there were 57.

A total of 330 people were paid salaries or fees of between €75,000 and €100,000, according to the FOI records.

The figures were released prior to the controversy that engulfed the public service broadcaster last week.