Mary Lou McDonald: RTE splurged €230k on luxury limos
Mary Lou McDonald challenged the Taoiseach over reports that RTE spent €230,000 on luxury limousine rides since 2021 and asked how such expenditure can be justified. She argued the spending directly contradicts the bailout promise of prudent, moderate investment and demanded accountability.
Revealed spending
Mary Lou McDonald set out the figures in the Dáil, saying the state broadcaster has "splashed out" on limo rides for celebrities, dignitaries and presenters. She contrasted these costs with ordinary taxi fares and highlighted the scale of additional expenditure during a time of economic pressure for many households.
Luxury vehicles named
The leader named examples of the vehicles used, citing Mercedes S-Class and BMW 7 Series as types of transport involved. She emphasised the optics of expenditure on high-end vehicles while families and communities face financial strain.
Legislation for oversight
Mary Lou McDonald noted that legislation has been brought forward to place RTE under the aegis of the Public Accounts Committee and the Auditor General. She set out that this would provide the Oireachtas with a specific mechanism to hold the broadcaster to account for such spending.
Government role and accountability
She made clear that government does not run RTE but does allocate public funding for balanced public service broadcasting. McDonald said the government should not defend excessive or unnecessary expenditure and stressed that RTE must account for these costs to the Oireachtas.
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Taoiseach, it seems that there is no end to RTE's sense of entitlement and its attitude to the spending of public money, and no end it seems either to the lack of oversight from your government. This morning I read that since 2021 the state broadcaster has splashed out and get this 230,000 euros on limo rides for celebrities, dignitaries and presenters. Now this isn't to be confused with your commoner garden taxi. They've spent hundreds of thousands of additional money on that. Can you tell me Taoiseach what's going on here? Can you tell me how it is appropriate in any way that this type of money is blown on luxury limos? Mercedes, five class, BMW, seven series, that type of transport, that kind of expenditure at a time where we know everybody's struggling, but at a time also when RTE was bailed out and the promise of that bailout was that there would be prudent, appropriate, moderate investment. The government has and is developing or has brought forward sanctioned legislation to ensure that RTE comes under the aegis of the Public Accounts Committee and the Auditor General, and that will give us and give the Oireachtas here a specific mechanism to hold RTE to account for the type of expenditure that you've just described, and it is a matter for RTE to account for that. Government doesn't run RTE. Yes, we do allocate funding principally for balanced public service broadcasting because it is a national state broadcaster, but government does not in any shape or form defend any excessive or unnecessary expenditure of the type that you outlined.
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