The ongoing controversy at RTÉ serves no one well, least of all the members of the public who rely on it as a source of factual and accurate news and current affairs. It is damaging to people's trust in public broadcasting that the fallout from what the Taoiseach has described as a culture of arrogance and entitlement at RTÉ continues to play out. This issue is not going away because it underlines the fact that there is one rule for those in privileged positions and another for ordinary people. We see, on the one hand, that you can be an RTÉ executive, walk away from your job and pocket hundreds of thousands of euros on the way out the door. If you are a nurse, a teacher or if you work in retail or hospitality and you walk off the job, however, you would not be entitled to a penny. Más altra nó múinteoir thú áfach, nó má oibríonn tú i siopa nó óstán agus má fhágann tú do phost, ní gheobhaidh tú pingin. You would not even be entitled to a social welfare payment. If you are a well-connected RTÉ executive, that is a different story.

We have heard a great deal of bluster from the Taoiseach and others in government about accountability, but we have seen none in the eight months during which this debacle has played its way out. Instead of soundbites, what we need to hear from the Government is what accountability looks like. When will there be consequences for those who have breached the public trust and those who have played fast and loose with taxpayers' money? As long as this saga continues, people are voting with their feet. Hundreds of thousands have chosen not to pay the TV licence. Every day that the Taoiseach delays in making a decision on this matter, many more join them, which thousands due to be dragged through the courts. Where is the accountability from those in RTÉ? Every time someone in government is asked about this, they say they are not responsible and that it is someone else's problem. If the Government is not ultimately responsible for cleaning up this mess, who is? Yesterday, we learned that the Minister for media had her first briefing on severance packages at RTÉ, despite the findings of the McCann Fitzgerald report emerging three weeks ago. The Government is behind the curve on every twist and turn of this debacle.

What will be done to ensure that all details of the severance packages paid to top executives at RTÉ are published immediately? What steps will be taken to ensure nothing like this ever happens again?

This is public money, and public money must be accounted for properly. That is RTÉ's job. There must be adequate oversight. That is the Government's job and the Taoiseach's job. RTÉ must be brought back under the remit of the Comptroller and Auditor General, as was the case for many years. Does the Taoiseach support this proposal? Will it happen? The Government has to move on this. It also has to tackle the long-term issue of funding RTÉ and ensuring that those moneys are managed properly. Will the Taoiseach commit to the implementation of all of the recommendations from the Future of Media Commission? Will the Government abolish the TV licence once and for all? We need clarity from the Government on these pressing matters.

I thank the Deputy. I take this opportunity to note the passing of Michael O'Regan. I know his friends, colleagues and the people of Kerry, who will be well familiar with the Dáil hour programme on the radio, will mourn his loss. I understand there will be a moment of silence at the end of Leaders' Questions to pay our respects to him and his family and colleagues.

On the Deputy's question, as I said before, we need full information and clarity from RTÉ. The drip-feed of revelations which has been happening for far too long is now seriously damaging an important organisation which has a pivotal role in our democracy and our national cultural identity. The Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, met the RTÉ chairperson and director general, DG, yesterday to discuss the severance payments, or rather the exit payments. She has been very clear - as have I - that we need maximum possible clarity and transparency on all these matters urgently. In re-emphasising the need for maximum transparency, the Minister has also received assurances from RTÉ that it will reassess the future use of confidentiality agreements and the capping of severance packages for senior executives. While transparency must be lawful and have regard to individuals' employment and privacy rights, the DG has committed to seeking updated legal advice and to making as much information as is permissible publicly available. He is also committed to providing an update in respect of this as soon as possible. I urge him to do so.

While substantive legal advice is awaited, the DG did provide some further clarity with regard to departures of a number of former staff yesterday evening. He has confirmed that he felt a negotiated process to exit an individual from the organisation was needed in the context, that there were no grounds to dismiss the person and that the interests of RTÉ might be best served if the individual concerned was to leave voluntarily. Both parties received legal advice on this matter. The DG has stated his view that there may have been a significantly increased cost to RTÉ were a dismissal to have been attempted.

RTÉ is, in accordance with the provisions of the Broadcasting Act, independent in its pursuit of its statutory objectives and this includes all operational matters such as HR. These severance agreements are not arrangements that required any Government approval or notice and this is standard practice for semi-State bodies as opposed to Departments or State agencies. RTÉ's annual and regular accounts disclose aggregate transactions with regard to senior management but no detail is given. The accounts are published and laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas and are there to be interrogated by Members of both Houses, which, of course, is done by the PAC and the media committee.

Two expert advisory committees are going to make recommendations, looking at the governance. We await their recommendations on possible legislative changes that might be necessary and proportionate in order to increase accountability while respecting the principle of the independence of media. I do not intend to pre-empt what these reports might recommend, but I note that the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, is committed to implementing the changes recommended in order that we can ensure better governance and greater transparency and try to rebuild trust. What the expert advisory committees have to say about the role of the C and AG will also be important. We will take on board any recommendations in this regard. The Minister expects to receive an update from the expert advisory committees later this week on their progress and on the status of their reports in the context of finalisation and publication.

I join with the Taoiseach in saluting the memory of Michael O'Regan, who was a gentleman and a truly fine and fair professional. Our thoughts are with him and his family. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

The scandal relating to RTÉ has gone on for months.

It has gone on since last summer, and the Taoiseach still talks about it as if he was some detached, inconsequential observer. He still cannot give straight, concrete answers in respect of accountability and full disclosure of information. It is not, at this point, good enough for the director general of RTÉ or for the Taoiseach, as Head of Government, to continue to dilly-dally and delay on this matter. If RTÉ is guilty of drip-feeding information - which it is and on which the Taoiseach has called it out - equally, the Government is guilty of gross indecision, slowness and sometimes an alarming but telling lack of curiosity in the questions it has put to RTÉ.

We now need pace. We need to know from the Government precisely when we will have all of the information required. We also need to know how it intends to ensure that we do not have a repeat of the behaviour we have witnessed. As the Taoiseach awaits another report from another expert committee, I put it to him that there has been one sitting on his desk for the past two years. That report recommends abolition of the television licence. Could the Government please take a decision on that matter without further delay?

I thank the Deputy. The Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, met the director general on the day the McCann report was published. That report dealt with the voluntary redundancy schemes of 2017 and 2020. Yesterday's meeting between the Minister, the DG and the chairperson was in relation to termination packages. We need all transparency on this to the extent that is possible within the law.

There are many recommendations in the report of the Future of Media Commission. These are very good recommendations, and we are implementing them all. There is one outstanding issue that we still need to make a decision on and that is the abolition of the TV licence. As the Deputy knows, the Future of Media Commission recommended the use of Exchequer funding. There is a real difficulty with that because the use of Exchequer funding would mean that the Government of the day would control how much money goes to RTÉ and the public service media. I am looking across at somebody who might be the Taoiseach in the next Government, who is currently suing RTÉ and who would have a huge conflict of interests.

I am looking across at members of Government too, and the picture is not pretty.

There are people behind her who have sued RTÉ and taken a lot of money out of it, which is ultimately taxpayers' money, as the Deputy has pointed out.

That is a real concern. We see all over the western world democracies being undermined by governments that want to control the purse strings around the media. I would be really concerned if we were to go down that route.

The Taoiseach is concerned about my influence.

Yes.

I suggest that he should be concerned about many things other than that.