Statement of Board Members’ Responsibilities

For the year ended 31 December 2020

The members of the Board of RTÉ (the “RTÉ Board”) are responsible for preparing the Annual Report and the Group and RTÉ financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.

The Broadcasting Act 2009 (“broadcasting legislation”) requires the RTÉ Board to prepare Group and RTÉ financial statements for each financial year. Under that legislation, the RTÉ Board has elected to prepare the Group and RTÉ financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as adopted by the EU and as applied in accordance with the provisions of the broadcasting legislation and the relevant provisions of the Companies Act 2014.

The RTÉ Board does not approve the Group and RTÉ financial statements unless it is satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities and financial position of the Group and RTÉ and of the Group’s profit or loss for that year. In preparing each of the Group and RTÉ financial statements, the RTÉ Board:

1. Selects suitable accounting policies and then applies them consistently;
2. Makes judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
3. States whether the financial statements have been prepared in accordance with IFRS as adopted by the EU and as applied in accordance with the provisions of the broadcasting legislation; and
4. Prepares the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Group and RTÉ will continue in business.

The RTÉ Board is responsible for keeping adequate accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss of the Group and RTÉ and which enable them to ensure that the financial statements of the Group and RTÉ are prepared in accordance with applicable IFRS, as adopted by the EU, and comply with the provisions of the broadcasting legislation and the relevant provisions of the Companies Act 2014. The RTÉ Board have general responsibility for taking such steps as are reasonably open to them to safeguard the assets of the Group and RTÉ and to prevent and detect fraud and other irregularities. The RTÉ Board is also responsible for preparing a Board Members’ Report that complies with the relevant provisions of the Companies Act 2014.

The RTÉ Board members are responsible for ensuring that the corporate governance statement on pages 84 to 91 reflects the Group’s compliance with the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies.

The RTÉ Board members are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the Group’s website. Legislation in the Republic of Ireland governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.