Review of Governance & Culture of RTÉ

Introduction

On July 4 2023, following a Government decision, Minister Catherine Martin announced the commissioning of an independent examination of RTÉ composed of two parallel reviews:

• a review of Governance and Culture undertaken by a three-person Expert Advisory Committee; and

• a review of Contractor Fees, Human Resources and Other Matters also undertaken by a three-person Expert Advisory Committee.

The purpose of the examination is to help restore trust through a wide-ranging and independent review into the root causes of the failings in RTÉ and the recommendation of measures to prevent their recurrence in the future.

The Review of Governance and Culture examined RTÉ corporate governance framework and assessed its organisational culture and way of doing business, and recommended a series of reforms.

The review was overseen by an Expert Advisory Committee composed of Professor Niamh Brennan (Chair), Dr Margaret Cullen and Stephen Smith. Further information on the Expert Advisory Committee is available here .

The Report can be found here

Terms of Reference

The terms of reference of this review 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.

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