Ryan Tubridy’s agent made repeated demands for payment guarantees, meeting note says

RTÉ has finally released details of an online meeting on Mr Tubridy’s contract back in 2020.

The legal note has been the source of a clash between RTÉ and the Dáil Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

RTÉ has now caved and provided the document.

The broadcaster was refusing to release the note, citing solicitor-client confidentiality. The PAC was threatening to go to court to secure it.

The note details a key meeting, at which the celebrated €75,000-a-year deal with Renault was discussed.

Former RTÉ director general Dee Forbes agreed to guarantee payments to Mr Tubridy in discussions with the then Late Late Show presenter’s agent Noel Kelly.

RTÉ has now provided the PAC with the original note taken during a meeting and a summary of the document by independent solicitors, Arthur Cox. The original note can’t be discussed publicly by the committee, but the summary can be deliberated.

Arthur Cox says “the note” was prepared by a solicitor in RTÉ and contains handwritten notes of an online Microsoft Teams meeting attended by NK Management and RTÉ. The note is not a transcript of the meeting.

“Significantly, RTÉ believes that the information set out below corresponds with evidence that has been provided to the PAC already, by NK Management and others,” Arthur Cox says.

The summary doesn’t name who exactly was on the meeting from the RTÉ solicitors’ office or NK Management. But previously released correspondence shows Mr Kelly was on the call with Ms Forbes on May 7, 2020.

The note shows NK Management coming in repeatedly to seek a letter guaranteeing payment of the side deal in a series of exchanges.

“NK Management indicate that this would be a problem – not what was agreed.”

“NK Management – can we look at something if another sponsor, what if no sponsor?”

“NK Management – big problem, teams change and we’ve no guarantee on this.”

“NK Management then queried the effect of another Director General being appointed.”

Ms Forbes responded that RTÉ thought it could provide a written guarantee, but found it couldn’t.

The meeting also discussed a side letter for Mr Tubridy’s contract and a reference to “further reduction in extreme circumstances” being ruled out.

“NK Management – absolutely not, we’ve worked well, but no staff could take 40pc cut, can’t keep moving the goal posts. No, we’ve had conversations and negotiations.”

Ms Forbes wrote to Mr Tubridy in July 2020, providing a letter of comfort and guarantees his pay would not be cut.

“The purpose of this correspondence is to record in writing our guarantee and undertaking that the fees set out in this Agreement will be paid by RTÉ without any reductions and RTÉ shall not make any request or enquiry from you in relation to a reduction in the agreed fees during the currency of the Agreement save as to those that might be imposed by changes to legislation,” she said.

Commenting on the latest development, PAC member and Fianna Fáil TD Cormac Devlin said the note will make “difficult reading” for RTÉ staff.

“Details of the note should have been provided to Public Accounts Committee months ago. It will make very difficult reading for RTÉ staff as it seems to confirm that the former RTÉ Director General Dee Forbes was intimately involved in the arrangements around the Ryan Tubridy pay deal, and efforts to conceal its true nature as it undermined RTÉ pay policy,” he said.

“To be fair the new Director General Kevin Bakhurst is sticking to his commitment to provide full transparency, and this is welcome.

“I will be calling for PAC to meet at the earliest opportunity next week to examine the summary note and to view the original. I have no doubt there will be further questions for the senior RTÉ executives that were involved.”