Claire Byrne has broken her silence on the RTÉ pay scandal.
Last week, it was revealed that Ryan Tubridy’s earnings were publicly understated by €345,000 over the last six years.
The issue was identified during a routine audit of RTÉ’s 2022 accounts, prompting an independent review of the matter.
On Thursday, the RTÉ Board issued an apology over the error, and later Ryan also apologised for not questioning RTÉ over his published earnings.
The scandal resulted in the suspension of RTÉ’s Director General Dee Forbes, who has since resigned from her role.
Claire returned to her RTÉ Radio 1 Show on Monday morning after a short break, and she told listeners that her absence had nothing to do with the scandal.
She said: “I booked those two days off months ago. One of my daughters was involved in a dance competition in Kerry and we all decided to go with her and make a few days of it.”
“The fact that I wasn’t sitting here when the news broke was a complete coincidence. I saw and heard that news coming in just as everyone else did. I had no prior warning, no inkling that there was a problem on the horizon.”
“I wasn’t even aware that presenter’s fees, including my own, were subjected to a grand thornton review. I knew absolutely nothing about it.”
Claire continued: “Just like everyone else, I’ve been graping over the past few days with what has happened and the implications of it for all of us here at RTÉ and for you, who rely on us and expect us to be completely transparent.”
“I listened to Liveline on Friday and I listened to the callers who spoke to Joe [Duffy], and I heard them talking about being disappointed. About trust being broken, and about the importance of transparency. For me, and for all the great people that I work with here everyday on this show, hearing that is nothing short of heartbreaking.”
“I can tell you that as programme makers, our aim is always to be consistent, to be fair, to be professional, and to respect the hard earned trust that you, the audience, has placed in us.”
“So with all of that said, there are a couple of things that I want to make clear here this morning. Firstly, the fee that has been published for me most recently is correct, as are those published in the past.”
“I’ve never sought, been offered, or discussed any kind of commercial or side deal. No other payment exists, or has ever existed beyond my published fee.”
“Secondly, my most recent published fee was €350k. Now that was the fee agreed by RTÉ for me both to present this radio programme and Claire Byrne Live. As you may know, I’ve decided not to continue with that television show for personal and for family reasons.”
“So in order to be fully transparent with you here today, I want you to know that my RTÉ fee now is €280k. That fee was agreed for presenting this programme, and that last contract was negotiated by Noel Kelly.”
“I recently presented the television show ‘Ireland’s Smartest’ and for that, I was pad a separate fee of €25k. That contract was negotiated by other members of the NK Management company. I acknowledge that fee is significant, and it’s way beyond what many people could hope to earn.”
“There are others who will no doubt have more to say about it, I’m sure. But my personal decision here this morning is to be open and honest with you. Having said that, my decision to do this is not meant to set a precedent for others, or to force anyone else to release their information. That’s a matter entirely for themselves.
“I felt that, for me, it was the right thing to do this morning,” she explained.
Claire concluded her statement by saying: “With that fee that I earn comes a duty for me to treat this position with respect, and I hope you can trust me and the team of journalists to cover this story about RTÉ with the same rigger and balance as we would any other story on this programme.”
