Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have a question for RTÉ. When RTÉ raises concerns about resourcing difficulties, members of the public will often highlight the high salaries paid to some of the stars within RTÉ. According to RTÉ's figures, one presenter earned more than €300,000 in 2016 for hosting two shows a week. That is well in excess of what the Taoiseach earns working, one could say, up to seven days a week. I know the salaries are subject to further cuts of 15%. I am conscious that a large amount of the funding RTÉ receives is taxpayers' money. Is it down to the popularity of the show or what metric does RTÉ use to decide salaries for its star presenters?