- Film And TV
- 26 Jun 23
While invited to the Oireachtas Committees, the previous RTÉ Director General Dee Forbes is no longer required to make an appearance
In light of further developments regarding the news of Ryan Tubridy and RTÉ's pay scandal, TD members are calling for both parties to appear before the Oireachtas committees.
It comes after the announcement that RTÉ Director General Dee Forbes resigned immediately after her suspension and speculation that over €50m in kickbacks has been paid by the television network to the talk show host.
While it's already been confirmed that RTÉ as an organisation, at least, will be attending, there has been little clarification on other invitees' intentions. Fine Gael TD Mayo Alan Dillon and Sinn Féin TD for Louth Imelda Munster are among those calling for Tubridy and various members of RTÉ to personally appear.
Among those called are RTÉ's previous Director General, who, due to resignation, is no longer compelled to sit for the Oireachtas hearings this week. Already invited to two hearings, individuals like Imelda Munster have expressed hope she would still appear.
"I would like to think that she would attend and not do the organisation a further disservice by not attending," Munster remarked on Morning Ireland with RTÉ News at One.
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According to the Irish Examiner, Fine Gael TD Mayo Alan Dillon also called for both Tubridy and Tubridy's agent, Noel Kelly, to appear as Tubridy was a majorly affected party in the scandal.
Amid his concerns, he voiced the need for an "exact timeline" of the proceedings over the years in order to garner a clearer picture of possibly affected events, like Tubridy's planned stepping down from The Late Late Show.
This past Friday, Tubridy was taken off his RTÉ radio show following the breaking of the scandal, a decision he cited was due to "editorial reasons" while expressing disappointment about it. The note was made in a statement where he "unreservedly" apologised for not questioning why RTÉ's published figures were inaccurate.
He was replaced on the radio by Oliver Callan. There has yet to be an update on when he will return.
Forbes released her own statement at the time, although it failed to include an apology for the circumstances, instead claiming that she "always prioritised what I believe are the best interests of the organisation, in order to best serve the public."