RTÉ's new Director General Kevin Bakhurst has said a decision on whether or not Ryan Tubridy can return to air will need to be made relatively quickly for the sake of the presenter and the organisation.
He said he wanted maximum transparency from Mr Tubridy and his agent Noel Kelly when they appear before two Oireachtas committees tomorrow.
On his first day in the role, Mr Bakhurst announced a new interim leadership team at RTÉ.
The new line up does not include four previous executive board members.
Head of Commercial Geraldine O'Leary announced early retirement today.
Chief Financial Officer Richard Collins and Head of Content Jim Jennings, who has been on sick leave, are not listed as part of the new leadership team.
Yesterday, Rory Coveney resigned as Director of Strategy.
The ongoing controversy in RTÉ, which has entered its third full week, was triggered by revelations of previously undeclared payments by RTÉ to presenter Ryan Tubridy.
Mr Tubridy was paid €345,000 more than RTÉ said he was paid over a six-year period.
Mr Bakhurst said that he has not spoken to Mr Tubridy recently and could not say if the presenter will have a future role at the station.
"We'll have to see how events this week go."
"I need to also talk to staff and my colleagues on the new leadership group before we make a decision about that but I think for the sake of Ryan and for the sake of RTÉ we need to make a decision on that relatively quickly," Mr Bakhurst said.
Mr Tubridy and his agent Noel Kelly will appear before the Public Accounts Committee and Oireachtas Committee on Media tomorrow.
Mr Tubridy's and Mr Kelly's solicitor will attend the meeting but will not be allowed sit beside them or make oral contributions at the Public Accounts Committee tomorrow.
Solicitors for the two have promised to provide a "booklet of documents" to the committee by 8.30am tomorrow.
Mr Bakhurst said: "I want to see maximum transparency from Ryan and his agent in that committee, and I want to see maximum transparency from RTÉ and we'll be putting more documents out to ensure that happens."
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RTÉ funding to be 'challenging'
Mr Bakhurst also said overall funding for the broadcaster is going to be "challenging" this year and in 2024.
Speaking on RTÉ's Six One News about the broadcaster's funding model, Mr Bakhurst appealed to people to continue to pay their TV licence.
"I'd like to ask audiences to give us the benefit of the doubt, watch what we're doing and what programmes like this and RTÉ Investigates tonight, to see the real value of funding public service broadcasting," Mr Bakhurst said.
He said commercial revenue is "holding up" at the moment but "overall funding for this year and next year is challenging".
"In terms of dual funding, there are other ways of funding public service broadcasters but I don’t think there’s the appetite in Ireland to have either a much smaller broadcaster, which is funded only by the licence fee, or to double the licence fee, which is what we would need if there was no commercial funding," Mr Bakhurst said.
"Last year we got interim funding from the State and I expect we will need it this year as well," he said.
Mr Bakhurst said RTÉ was making the case to Government.
New leadership team announced
This morning, Mr Bakhurst announced that he would stand down the Executive Board of the organisation and replace it with a temporary interim leadership team.
In an email to staff, he said there would be changes in how management will make and account for its decisions.
There will also be a new register of interests for staff and contractors, and a commitment to drive cultural change within RTÉ.
Referring to the interim leadership team introduced after the RTÉ Executive was stood down, Mr Bakhurst said that he wanted to be "confident" in his executive.
"I need to have a team that inspires confidence in the licence fee payers, the politicians and particularly in the staff that we can lead real change in this organisation," he said.
Speaking earlier on RTÉ's News At One, Mr Bakhurst said that his interim leadership team will bring "fresh blood".
"We've got a number of Government inquiries going on. We need to make sure we can provide the information to those.
"We need continuity in some areas, but we need fresh blood on the interim leadership team."
Mr Bakhurst said 50% of the new team are new to running the organisation.
"I looked at the skills we needed. I looked at what involvement or not people had had in the recent issues. That's how I put the team together."
Mr Bakhurst said he feels it is a strong and balanced leadership team to bring the organisation forward.
RTÉ's temporary leadership team, along with Mr Bakhurst, has been named as Eimear Cusack, Director of Human Resources; Vivienne Flood, Head of Public Affairs; Mike Fives, Group Financial Controller, RTÉ; Adrian Lynch, Director Audiences, Channels, Marketing, and continuing as Acting Deputy DG; Paula Mullooly, Director of Legal; Deirdre McCarthy, Director of News & Current Affairs; Niamh O'Connor, Deputy Director of Content; Conor Mullen, Head of Strategy & Commercial Compliance, RTÉ Media Sales; and Richard Waghorn, Director of Operations and Technology.
Ms Flood, Mr Fives, Ms O'Connor and Mr Mullen were not members of the former Executive Board.
This afternoon, RTÉ's Director of Commercial Geraldine O'Leary announced her early retirement with immediate effect. It follows the resignation of Rory Coveney yesterday from his role as RTÉ Director of Strategy.
Mr Bakhurst said that former members of the RTÉ Executive, who have not resigned, are still working for the station, "at the moment".
Mr Bakhurst also said there are "no special pay-offs" when people resign or are made redundant.
"When people resign or are made redundant, any payments that are made will be fair and reasonable," he said.
Mr Bakhurst told the Six One News that people who have resigned or retired no longer have to appear at Oireachtas committees but they "have said they will be available to help RTÉ with information".
"The other people will be available to Oireachtas committees. We made it clear that we expected them to attend those committees while they're still being paid by RTÉ."
Mr Bakhurst said that "in due course" a new permanent leadership team will be appointed.
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Mr Bakhurst said that RTÉ will publish the salaries of the Executive/permanent interim leadership team along with the earnings of RTÉ's ten highest paid presenters in its annual report every year, starting with the Annual Report 2023.
He also said that as part of his commitment to increased openness and transparency, a Register of Interests for staff and contractors, in consultation with the TUG is being expedited.
He said he has asked RTÉ's Freedom of Information Officer to take the lead in scoping out the process and to look at RTÉ's legal obligations, as well as the operation of registers and declarations of interest in the civil service and in broadcasters internationally.
In addition, line managers in RTÉ have been asked for clarification on any potential breaches of RTÉ's journalism and content guidelines and meetings are under way.
On Thursday, Mr Bakhurst will appear before the Public Accounts Committee.
