RTÉ would publish Kielty salary if presenter is willing

Dundrum man Patrick Kielty is due to take on The Late Late Show hosting duties later this year

Irish broadcaster RTÉ has said it would be willing to publish details of new Late Late Show presenter Patrick Kielty's salary if he agrees.

The interim deputy director general Adrian Lynch made the comments during an Oireachtas (Irish parliament) committee earlier on Wednesday.

There have been calls for Mr Kielty's salary to be published amidst controversy over undisclosed payments to former host Ryan Tubridy.

Mr Tubridy received €345,000 (£296,000) more than what the broadcaster had declared in its earnings report between 2017 and 2022.

The committee heard details of Mr Kielty's salary could be made public by Friday pending agreement on all sides.

Earlier, the broadcaster's chair Siún Ní Raghallaigh said it had fallen short of the standards expected of it.

Speaking before the media scrutiny committee, Ms Ní Raghallaigh apologised for the "egregious breach of trust with the public".

"The public, RTÉ staff, and public representatives are angry and hurt," she told the committee.

"We know that our bond of trust with the public is tarnished.

"We know that trust is precious, and that once lost, trust is difficult to regain."

Apology for 'distressed' staff

Ms Ní Raghallaigh said the broadcaster will work to rebuild trust, and confidence in the public service broadcaster - which is funded in part by a license fee - can be restored.

She also apologised to the 1,800 staff in the organisation for the "distress" they are experiencing.

On Tuesday, RTÉ staff, many of whom had their pay frozen in recent years, staged protests outside their offices after the payments were revealed.

"I want to assure this committee and the public that the board is committed to ensuring that we get full clarity on this, that there is accountability for it, and that it never happens again," she concluded.

A meeting of the Public Accounts Committee with RTÉ representatives will take place on Thursday.

Last week, the Irish minister for media ordered an external review into the governance and culture at the broadcaster.

RTÉ staff staged protests outside its offices across the island in response to the payments scandal

'Not credible'

The payments made to Mr Tubridy were uncovered after the company's auditors alerted the board to some of the transactions on 17 March.

RTÉ representatives at the committee denied suggestions the discovery of the invoices were linked to Mr Tubridy's announcement that he was leaving the Late Late Show.

Former director general of RTÉ Dee Forbes, who resigned earlier this week over the scandal, will not appear before the committee due to ill health, a spokesperson said.

It was revealed during the hearing that Ms Ní Raghallaigh had asked Ms Forbes to resign on 16 June - ten days before the former director general had done so.

Fine Gael TD Brendan Griffin argued the resignation should not have been accepted as it prevented the committee from calling on Ms Forbes to appear before it.

Ms Ní Raghallaigh said Ms Forbes still has the option to give evidence to the committee.

On Tuesday, RTÉ's interim deputy director general Adrian Lynch said no members of the executive board other than Ms Forbes could have known Mr Tubridy's payment figures were wrong.

However Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar questioned the validity of the statement at a sitting of the Dáil (lower house of the Irish Parliament).

He said it was "not credible" Ms Forbes was the only one who knew about the misreported payments.

Mr Varadkar added the government and public expect "nothing but full and open transparency" from RTÉ representatives during committee hearings.

Tubridy contract talks paused

Mr Tubridy has not been hosting his weekday radio show since the payments were discovered

Mr Tubridy stood down as the host of RTÉ One's The Late Late Show, one of the world's longest-running TV chat shows, in March.

He had hosted the show since 2009, after taking over from Pat Kenny.

Northern Ireland comedian Patrick Kielty, who was announced as his replacement, will take over hosting duties later this year.

Mr Tubridy also hosts a weekday show on RTÉ Radio One, but has not been on air since the payments controversy emerged.

On Wednesday, the broadcaster confirmed talks over a new contract for the presenter have been paused pending ongoing processes over the payment disclosures.