The news that it has written down €3.6m on a partly failed IT system must have felt like another slap in the face for staff in an organisation that has been struggling for its financial survival.
We thought we had reached peak public outrage two years ago amid a slew of damaging revelations concerning gross failures in governance and financial reporting. As public confidence and support plummeted, so did the payment of licence fees.
A huge wave of anger threatened the viability of an institution that has played a central role in Irish life.
We were promised that stringent new oversight and accountability protocols would be put in place. No more six-figure surprises on the ill use of taxpayer money would emerge from the accounts.
The slump in revenues necessitated a government guarantee of €725m in state support over the next three years. There would be conditions on this. Breaches of trust would not be tolerated.
Taxpayers need to hear why no one saw fit to bring such a massive waste to light
With all this in mind, Media Minister Patrick O’Donovan will not be the only one “disappointed” that the write-down of millions more in public money was not raised before now.
What is most alarming, as noted by Mr O’Donovan, is that while it was in RTÉ’s accounts, it was “not in the accounts with an explanation”. This is clearly intolerable, given the damage already done to RTÉ’s reputation. There is a critical need to restore trust to its relationship with its audiences. It reflects poorly on all concerned.
As the minister said: “RTÉ were before the Public Accounts Committee and the committee with regard to arts and media on a number of occasions and none of the officials in my own department had any knowledge of the detail with regard to this impairment.”
Why the organisation did not bring the loss to the attention of the Government demands an answer.
Mr O’Donovan said the write-down pre-dates the current management. Be that as it may, the scale of the loss and the fact it was allowed to “hide in plain sight” again undermines faith in how RTÉ is run.
Taxpayers need to hear why no one saw fit to bring such a massive waste to light.
Mr O’Donovan said he had learnt from RTÉ chiefs that the financial modelling IT system came in “over budget”, but the HR modelling system “wasn’t delivered at all”.
With hundreds of millions of euro in taxpayers’ money still committed to the broadcaster, the State needs cast-iron assurances that there are no more millions “written off” below the radar.
With regard to the integrity of public spending, taxpayers must never be left in the dark, wondering: Who is the biggest idiot – the idiot, or the idiot who is fooled by one? People may tolerate mistakes, but not their concealment.
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