Catherine Martin, the Minister for Media, will seek cabinet approval on Tuesday for the appointment of a new chair of the RTÉ board, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has announced.
Varadkar also confirmed that Martin would seek approval for the appointment of two new board members, following the recent resignations of Siún Ní Raghallaigh, the former board chair, and PJ Mathews.
With the board currently five members short, including a chair, Varadkar emphasized the importance of ensuring RTÉ has a fully functioning board.
Catherine Martin (Credits: The Irish Times)
The government is awaiting final reports on the governance of RTÉ, which are expected in a matter of weeks. These reports will inform decisions on a future funding model for the broadcaster.
While Varadkar acknowledged that restoring RTÉ to its full membership would be challenging, he expressed confidence that it could be achieved.
Several names have been mentioned as potential candidates to replace Ní Raghallaigh, including Paul Reid, the former HSE boss, and Elaine Geraghty, the head of Ardmore Studios and Troy Productions.
In related news, a report from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) due to be published on Tuesday is expected to recommend bringing RTÉ’s finances under the remit of the Comptroller & Auditor General. Both Martin and Varadkar support this move, which would provide an additional level of scrutiny over RTÉ’s finances.
“We actually haven’t made a policy decision on that yet but you know my view,” Varadkar said. “I think it would be a good idea to have that additional level of scrutiny.”
