A local TD has shared his views on the former Chair of RTÉ’s answers to his questions at the Media Oireachtas Committee yesterday.
RTÉ representatives went before a third Oireachtas committee session with Deputy Mattie McGrath, seeking answers to questions.
He questioned former chair Moya Doherty about why members of the board had not heard any complaints in the corridors over the years.
Deputy McGrath says there wasn’t a place for people to make complaints.
“I wonder will they have an RTÉ investigation into this. Look, she’s an aloof person; you can see that in her demeanor. She’s not going to be walking down the corridor or sitting in the canteen for people to come up to and complain. In the normal course of events, you don’t complain to someone in the corridor or you don’t complain in the canteen. There should be some sort of a process that people can air their grievances. The culture there seems to have been, “I’m alright, we’ll do our thing. You’re down there, and we’re up here.”
He says that financial revelations around the Toy Show musical, flights, and flip-flops are bizarre.”
The Independent TD says he believes any investigations should be spearheaded by firms outside Ireland.
“We were told last week that there was one barter account. We were told this week that there are three. I believe there could be more, so this is the problem: you’re being drip fed. The other problem I have is that Ireland is a small place. I’m not going to name any of the accountancy firms that might come in here and investigate. We need somebody from out of Ireland, from America, or somewhere totally independent to come in because many of these firms have worked for different members or different parts of the organisation. That is the problem with all these tribunals and investigations: we’re investigating ourselves, and it must be independent.”
