The board of the Writers’ Guild of Ireland is deeply concerned about the on-going fallout in RTÉ in relation to RTÉ Senior Management and the lack of transparency around payments. In an era in which writers are increasingly being asked to do more for less money, and with budgets and opportunities for Irish writers continually being slashed, it is unconscionable that at the same time RTÉ has been covertly spending money in this fashion. We firmly believe in the importance of Public Service Broadcasting, and believe that any Public Service Broadcaster should be properly resourced to fund the level of quality programming that Irish audiences deserve. We are gravely concerned about the impact that these revelations will have on our industry and hope that this misuse of funds will not be used by our Government as an excuse to underfund our vital Public Service Broadcaster. Public funds being misused to benefit the few should not mean that public funds should be withheld from the many who work hard to create Irish tv programmes. We are proud of the work that our members do, and call on RTÉ to now commit themselves to properly investing in Irish writers and Irish dramas, and to ensure trust, transparency and accountability across the sector. 

Jennifer Davidson, Chair WGI