Dozens of reforms recommended for RTÉ in the wake of the Ryan Tubridy payments controversy have been delayed, an interim report given to Cabinet has shown.
The report, which was given to Ministers on Tuesday, monitors implementation of two reviews undertaken following the controversy, which made a wide range of recommendations for RTÉ and the Government.
The report found that 36 recommendations identified by a review focused on governance and culture at the broadcaster have been delayed, with 40 achieved and two “on track”.
A total of 78 recommendations were made for RTÉ, and 15 for the Department of Media, while three concerned both bodies.
RM Block
Of the 15 made for the Government, seven are being addressed through legislation, a spokesman said, with three more completed and one, on funding, dealt with last July. A further four are ongoing.
A second report on contractor fees, HR and other matters identified legacy organisational, industrial relations and HR issues, recommending improvements in transparency and fairness. All 26 of its recommendations are for RTÉ.
A Coalition spokesman said initial progress reports were “limited”, which prompted a meeting with RTÉ to discuss more detailed reporting. By the first quarter of this year two of the recommendations had been achieved, 12 are on track and 12 are delayed “with potential impacts from industrial relations engagements”.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet was also told that Ireland is vulnerable due to its reliance on the UK for EU data traffic. Minister for Communications Patrick O’Donovan updated the Government on international subsea telecommunications cables, outlining that the state relies on 14 subsea cables for 99 per cent of its data.
He told Cabinet that US “hyperscalers” – Amazon, Meta, Google and Microsoft – primarily drive new cable investments and account for 79 per cent of demand. Demand is expected to increase by 47 per cent by 2030, Ministers were told, with resilience crucial as accidental or malicious damage to multiple cables could cause a national-scale impact.
Six of 14 cables are nearing the end of their life, which increases fault risk. Ireland’s reliance on the UK for 90 per cent of EU data traffic is a vulnerability, a Government spokesman said, due to Brexit, and the need to route sensitive data via a third country as limited alternative exist via Denmark or Iceland.
