Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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216. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the precise remit given to the Government HR/Governance report into RTÉ; what exactly they are asked to investigate; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9933/24]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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The terms of reference of the Reviews of Governance and Culture and of Contractor Fees, HR and Other Matters were published on 4 July 2023.

The terms of reference of the Review of Governance and Culture are:

i) Conduct an examination of RTÉ’s corporate governance framework and advise the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media on whether the corporate governance framework:

(a) reflects best governance practice for Commercial State Bodies as set out in the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies;

(b) complies with the relevant legislative provisions which apply to RTÉ; and

(c) includes a robust system of internal governance, including appropriate divisions of responsibilities, operational procedures, internal checks and balances relevant to the organisational context of RTÉ and direction and oversight by the Executive Board and the RTÉ Board. This will include an examination of the barter account and its governance.

ii) Where applicable, make recommendations to the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media on changes to RTÉ’s corporate governance framework to ensure robust public accountability.

iii) Provide an assessment of any organisational cultural characteristics and ways of conducting business within RTÉ, including staff morale and engagement, as well as the impact of RTÉ’s commercial income activities on its public service remit, identified from the corporate governance review or otherwise, that are likely to have contributed to the findings in the Grant Thornton reviews commissioned by RTÉ in relation to both the 2021-2022 overpayments and 2017-2019 period.

iv) Arising from this assessment, make recommendations to reform organisational culture, which supports staff engagement and a positive working environment, and to deliver a more open, transparent, and accountable organisation.

The terms of reference of the Review of Contractor Fees, HR and Other Matters are:

i) Examine the oversight and mechanisms by which RTÉ engages presenters and contractors, including fees, the use of agents, the impact on costs borne by RTÉ and the governance of same;

ii) Examine issues arising from the use of short term employment contracts at all levels;

iii) Examine employment terms and conditions with particular emphasis on gender equality, diversity and inclusion; and whether any of the existing recruitment and HR practices, in particular those outlined above, have an impact on equality and opportunity;

iv) Make recommendations to the Minister in relation to the above matters.

In light of the complementary nature of the reports, the Minister expects that they will be submitted to her together in March.