The Dáil's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is to seek legal advice on whether RTÉ can be compelled to provide details of exit packages for a number of former executives.
Committee Chair, Brian Stanley, was responding after RTÉ Director General, Kevin Bakhurst, said the organisation was legally and contractually precluded from handing over personal information.
Deputy Stanley said the Committee "want our take on this".
He said: "I will certainly be proposing to Committee members that we seek legal advice in terms of our options here regarding compellability, and what options are open to us to seek these from RTÉ."
"What we need to get from RTÉ, and what the public needs to see, is transparency. Unfortunately, that is not what we are seeing here in this case. We have a situation here where the Committee has requested documents that are essential for the work that the Committee is trying to do to uncover and understand what happened in RTÉ and to change it and to look to the future."
In a statement, Mr Bakhurst rejected the characterisation that the organisation was "refusing" to hand over information.
He said "legal and contractual obligations" precluded RTÉ from providing "personal information".
He said that RTÉ has provided the committee with more than 160 requested documents, "including one which contained over 500 emails relating to payments to Ryan Tubridy and a lengthy chronology of key events relating to Mr Tubridy's last contract".
Mr Bakhurst said that the station is "fully cooperating" with the Oireachtas Public Accounts and Media committees and is being as thorough and transparent as it can be "within what is permissible in law".
The broadcaster last night said it was declining a request from the PAC to supply it with a copy of former director general Dee Forbes' contract, as well as supply information on the financial exit packages given to former commercial director Geraldine O'Leary and former chief financial officer Breda O’Keeffe.
The broadcaster declined to provide a copy of Ms Forbes’ contract as it said that relevant details around the terms of her employment had been provided already.
It also said that it was "precluded from providing personal information because of legal and contractual obligations" in relation to an exit package for Ms O'Leary and that it was "not in a position to comment on Breda O’Keeffe’s arrangements".
Where documents have not been provided, Mr Bakhurst said, this was "because of legal and contractual obligations which preclude RTÉ from providing personal information".
"We are not 'refusing' to provide them," he added.
"I can confirm what we have previously said publicly which is that that there was no exit payment made to Dee Forbes on her resignation or to Geraldine O'Leary who left seven weeks early to take retirement," Mr Bakhurst said.
Noting the independent review into voluntary exit schemes in 2017 and 2021, Mr Bakhurst said: "Every individual at every level in RTÉ has a legal right to confidentiality and sometimes there are other legal constraints relating to departures as I'm sure the Committee will recognise."
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PAC Chair Brian Stanley said this morning that the PAC is still anxious to speak with Ms Forbes, who has been unable to attend committee hearings due to illness.
Mr Stanley said they have requested Ms O'Leary and Ms O'Keeffe to also appear before the committee, adding that all three will be asked to turn up on 5 October at the next hearing.
Cooperation 'critical'
The Minister for Expenditure has said that RTÉ's cooperation with the PAC is critical to regain the trust of the Oireachtas.
Paschal Donohoe said he understands RTÉ has given a commitment to cooperate and it is critical that does take place.
"RTÉ have given a commitment that they will do all they can to cooperate with the Public Accounts Committee and take every step they can to reveal details that are important to allow the Public Accounts Committee to do their work and that’s critical that that does take place."
Asked if the Government would consider dividing RTÉ into two separate entities as has been done with Irish Rail, Mr Donohoe said that ahead of next months Budget the Government will look at the recommendations of the Future of Media Commission.
"All kinds of futures and all kinds of issues that will be considered but we need to be careful about what will be the long-term consequences of every choice that will be."
But he said the longer term funding of the broadcaster will be considered by the end of the year after the Government receive from RTÉ their view of the long-term reformed vision for the organisation.
He said he will do his best to prioritise issues relating to the cost-of-living in Budget 2024, but he said the Government will not be able to do everything.
"In terms of spending growth scale, it's smaller than the Budget we did a year ago," Mr Donohoe said.
