It’s the last sitting day of the Dáil before it goes into summer recess. Usually, the last day is taken up with the Government trying to rush through legislation as the Opposition cries foul because of the use of the guillotine to cut short debate on legislation.
Not so on this final sitting day. If a guillotine is to be used as a metaphor today it will be about possibly cutting short the career of Ireland’s most famous broadcaster Ryan Tubridy.
The final formal day of Irish politics before the summer break will follow the consistent pattern of the past three weeks and will be dominated by the controversy over additional payments (kept secret from the public) to Tubridy. Until Tuesday a figure of €345,000 extra was being mentioned. But a more accurate figure is €225,000, comprising three annual payments of €75,000 as part of a deal with the Late Late Show’s sponsors, Renault.
So it’s once more into the breach today. A new cast of fresh-faced RTÉ executives will be before the Public Accounts Committee to discuss the crisis in the station, headed by new director general Kevin Bakhurst.
Bakhurst will be joined by acting deputy director general Adrian Lynch and interim management team members Paula Mullooly, Richard Collins and Conor Mullen. However, former RTÉ chair Moya Doherty and former chief financial officer Breda O’Keeffe have both said they will not be in attendance at the meeting, which is scheduled to begin at 9.30am.
Judging by the opening statements, the strategy of RTÉ senior people looks two-pronged. As Pat Leahy and Jack-Horgan Jones report, executives are expected to challenge accounts given by Ryan Tubridy and his agent, Noel Kelly to two committees on Tuesday.
However, there are also clear indications that the broadcaster may attempt to defang the situation with its most famous personality (but perhaps not his agent).
Bakhurst has talked of great transparency. “The public were misled, as were you as public representatives. That is completely unacceptable. I want to assure you that lessons have been learned, and actions are being taken,” he has said in his opening statement.
Chair of the board, Siún Ní Raghallaigh is expected to tell the ship that the ship is being steadied.
You can follow all of the developments from the Public Accounts Committee throughout the day on our rolling live story.
It all comes as Minister for Media Catherine Martin has announce she has appointed a forensic accounting team from Mazars to conduct a review of RTÉ going back for more than a decade, beginning with the so-called barter accounts.
Direct provision
Jennifer Bray provides the lead story today on a report warning that ending direct provision may never happen unless the Government acts now.
The report comes from an expert advisory group, headed by former EU senior civil servant Catherine Day, that warns that unless the right kind of accommodation is found for the medium-term, there is a risk of perpetuating direct provision.
It’s a tricky proposition. Trying to end direct provision at this particular moment in time is like Canute trying to stop the waves. The Department of Children and Integration has been overwhelmed by the double whammy of over 80,000 Ukrainian refugees arriving into Ireland last year, plus a record number of people seeking international protection (13,615). It has meant resources have been so stretched at times that those arriving into the country have been told they must live on the streets.
As Jennifer reports, the original White Paper on ending direct provision proposed a two-stage “blended” accommodation system. Newly-arrived asylum seekers would spend a maximum of four months in State-owned reception centres before moving into not-for-profit housing secured through approved housing bodies.
However, there is also the danger of institutionalisation creep. The accommodation crisis has meant that there were 5,197 people with permission to stay in Ireland living in direct-provision centres at the end of March. These were people who have status and are entitled to reside permanently in Ireland.
In the first four months of 2023 just 525 people moved out of direct provision accommodation.
It is understood the report has recommended that the Government use compulsory purchase powers if necessary to acquire six new public reception centres by the end of next year. It has said that the State must move away from reliance on the private sector.
Best reads
Hugh Linehan’s opinion piece on the future of Ryan Tubridy argues that RTÉ might draw a distinction between Tubridy and his agent, Noel Kelly, when it comes to the future.
For once Miriam Lord is not joining in on Tubsgate.
She writes: “After the last few tumultuous weeks, just to refresh memories, Pearse Doherty is Sinn Féin spokesman on Finance and Leo Varadkar is Taoiseach and Leader of Fine Gael.
“To give them their due, they are every bit as good – if not better – at the faux outrage, the thinly disguised insults and the roaring as practised by the committee members who have been stealing their thunder of late.”
RTÉ were in the spotlight yesterday again as they appeared before the Media and Sports Committee of the Oireachtas. But it was all about GAAGo, as Nathan Johns reports.
Who let a sports writer into Leinster House? What is the world coming to? Malachy Clerkin doesn’t pull the punches in a humorous and pugnacious piece on the proceedings at the committee yesterday.
“But as ever, it all-too-easily devolves into parish pump nonsense about the poor oul’ fellas sitting on the side of a mountain asking why Kerry aren’t on TV or why somebody from RTÉ made a smart remark about the state of a ground in Ardee or can GAAGo be made free to all over-65s like the free public transport,” he writes.
Jack Horgan-Jones has a useful piece setting out the nine questions RTÉ needs to answer at PAC today.
Naomi O’Leary reports that the decision by five Fine Gael MEPs to rebel against the whip of the European People’s Party helped assure the passage of the Nature Restoration Law by the slimmest of margins, 324 to 312.
Playbook
Dáil
09:00: Questions to Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine
10:30: Questions to Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
12:00: Leaders’ Questions
13:09: Statements on situation in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory
17:19: Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services) (Safe Access Zones) Bill 2023 – Second stage
18:14: Topical Issues
20:17: Dáil adjourns
Seanad
9.30: Commencement Matters
12.15: Wildlife (Amendment) Bill 2016 – Amendments from Dáil Éireann
Committees
09.30: PAC
Commercial arrangements entered into by RTÉ and its presenters, including those underwritten by RTÉ, which have impacted on and relate to the expenditure of public money.
09.30: Housing
Defective Block Scheme regulations and review of IS 465. We have a preview on it here.
17.30: Agriculture
Governance Issues in Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB)
