Dozens of reforms recommended to RTÉ in wake of pay controversy have been delayed
RTÉ
in the wake of the Ryan Tubridy
payments controversy
have been delayed, an interim report given to Cabinet has shown.
The report, which was given to Ministers on Tuesday, monitors implementation of two reviews undertaken following the controversy, which made a wide range of recommendations for RTÉ and the Government.
The report found that 36 recommendations identified by a review focused on governance and culture at the broadcaster have been delayed, with 40 achieved and two 'on track'.
A total of 78 recommendations were made for RTÉ, and 15 for the Department of Media, while three concerned both bodies.
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Of the 15 made for the Government, seven are being addressed through legislation, a spokesman said, with three more completed and one, on funding, dealt with last July. A further four are ongoing.
A second report on contractor fees, HR and other matters identified legacy organisational, industrial relations and HR issues, recommending improvements in transparency and fairness. All 26 of its recommendations are for RTÉ.
A Coalition spokesman said initial progress reports were 'limited', which prompted a meeting with RTÉ to discuss more detailed reporting. By the first quarter of this year two of the recommendations had been achieved, 12 are on track and 12 are delayed 'with potential impacts from industrial relations engagements'.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet was also told that Ireland is vulnerable due to its reliance on the UK for EU data traffic. Minister for Communications
Patrick O'Donovan
updated the Government on international subsea telecommunications cables, outlining that the state relies on 14 subsea cables for 99 per cent of its data.
He told Cabinet that US 'hyperscalers' – Amazon, Meta, Google and Microsoft – primarily drive new cable investments and account for 79 per cent of demand. Demand is expected to increase by 47 per cent by 2030, Ministers were told, with resilience crucial as accidental or malicious damage to multiple cables could cause a national-scale impact.
Six of 14 cables are nearing the end of their life, which increases fault risk. Ireland's reliance on the UK for 90 per cent of EU data traffic is a vulnerability, a Government spokesman said, due to Brexit, and the need to route sensitive data via a third country as limited alternative exist via Denmark or Iceland.
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RTÉ News
6 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Data flags hundreds of Russian 'shadow fleet' visits to Irish EEZ
Some 245 so-called 'shadow fleet' vessels passed through Ireland's maritime Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) more than 450 times in the first seven months of this year, according to data obtained by RTÉ. Several countries under international sanctions operate "shadow fleets". Most of the vessels, many of which analysts say are poorly maintained and lack proper insurance, are Russian-affiliated and used to help Russia export oil and circumvent oil price caps imposed as part of western sanctions. Seventy two vessels which have been directly named on sanctions lists transited through the Irish EEZ in the time period, which covers 1 January to 23 July. Experts have warned that their continued movement through Irish waters poses a serious environmental risk and undermines international efforts to isolate Russia's energy sector which is used to fund the country's war in Ukraine. Ireland's maritime EEZ extends roughly 370km off the west coast and is the site of major international shipping routes and multiple globally-important undersea cables. Countries are obligated under the UN Law of the Sea to monitor activities within their EEZ, prevent illegal activity, and control pollution. Vessels suspected of being part of the Russian shadow fleet often use deceptive practices, including falsifying paperwork, to try to obscure the origin, destination and selling price of Russian oil on board. They have been linked to damage caused to undersea cables in recent months, in particular in the Baltic Sea. Shadow fleet vessels have also conducted activities considered risky at sea, including turning off location transponders and conducting ship-to-ship oil transfers. The figures for activity in the Irish EEZ were provided by maritime intelligence company Windward, which uses satellite imagery and AI technology to spot and monitor ships, including those which turn their transponders off. A specific break down of the data on visits to the Irish EEZ during the first five months of the year was also provided by Windward. It showed that 40 of the 162 vessels which entered the Irish EEZ during that time frame were directly sanctioned with clear Russian affiliation. Five of those were sailing under the Russian flag, while six were beneficially-owned by Russian companies. Most of the others were flying under what are known as "flags of convenience," meaning they were registered in countries with minimal oversight. These can be used to disguise ownership and thereby avoid scrutiny and evade sanctions. Windward links the others to the shadow fleet through research and analysis of maritime activities. The top five "flags of convenience" on shadow fleet vessels travelling through the Irish EEZ were from the Marshall Islands, Liberia, Malta, Comoros and Panama. Asked about its monitoring of shadow fleet activity within the Irish EEZ, the Defence Forces said, "while it is our policy not to comment on specific operational matters, all relevant information gathered in support of Maritime Domain Awareness is shared in a timely manner with the appropriate national and international authorities." "The Defence Forces, through the deployment of Naval Service and Air Corps assets, maintains a continuous presence and vigilance within Ireland's maritime domain. We monitor all activity within our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as part of our routine operations to ensure the security and integrity of our waters." Irish Coast Guard data released Separately, data from the Irish Coast Guard released under the Freedom of Information Act and analysed by RTÉ,shows that the service also picked up signals from four western sanctioned Russian registered vessels in Irish EEZ waters since the turn of the year. RTÉ used vessel tracking website to trace the activities of these vessels around the time they were referenced in the Coast Guard data. The Valentin Pikul carried out three ship-to-ship transfers with a Russian bunkering vessel in Murmansk in northwestern Russia between 30 March and 10 April, one week after it passed through Irish EEZ waters on 23 and 24 March. The European Union-sanctioned Russian vessel Bratsk sailed through the Irish EEZ on 26 and 27 April, turning off its location transponder as it proceeded north off the Donegal coast. The Russian-flagged crude oil tanker Belgorod transmitted intermittent location data as it travelled through Ireland's EEZ on 6 and 7 May, two months after EU sanctions on the vessel were announced. The Primoyre passed the Irish coast twice between 13 April and 2 May, going 'dark' to location tracking services for periods while off the coast of Clare and later Donegal. Tony Cudmore, a retired Brigadier General with the Irish Defence Forces, said "an awful lot of this activity is intended to provoke and possibly to call into question the State's authority." "The danger is that a perception is being created that the State's authority in this area is being diminished," he added. He warned that there is also a significant environmental risk linked to the oil tankers, and that the clean-up cost would likely have to be borne by Ireland in the event of an oil spill while a vessel was uninsured. "These ships are like having vehicles travelling on your roads which have no NCT. They have no insurance. They probably have not been serviced correctly. It's quite possible that even their drivers, their masters, may not have professional competence," he said. As of May 2025, vessels transiting through EU EEZ waters, including Ireland, are required to provide proof of valid insurance even if they do not enter an EU port. CEO and co-founder of Windward, Ami Daniel, said some countries have recently started to take enforcement actions, and Ireland could follow their lead. "In the last month or two we are seeing the UK and the EU take a voluntary approach of questioning vessels who are transiting, on the radio - asking for their insurance coverage and other safety parameters," Mr Daniel said. In January, German authorities confiscated an oil tanker believed to be part of the Russian shadow fleet off the country's Baltic Sea coast. The Panama-flagged vessel, the Eventin, had been on its way from Russia to Egypt with a cargo of around 100,000 metric tons of oil, worth some €40 million. Ami Daniel believes Ireland could take other steps to challenge vessels operating without insurance or valid maintenance records. "It's not just enforcement at sea. It's enforcement on the flags [of convenience] and what they do with the flag states," Mr Daniel said. "The Irish Government can absolutely reach out to them and send them letters. For instance, are they allowing them to do ship-to-ship transfers and get fuel or other provisions while out there?" he added. The Department of Transport told RTÉ that the Irish Coast Guard, through its responsibility for search and rescue, maritime casualty and pollution response, actively monitors traffic in Irish waters and recognises the "risk that some of these vessels pose." "These risks include the increased possibility of a maritime casualty and search and rescue incidents from such vessels. For this reason, the Coast Guard has instituted specific measures to monitor the presence of these vessels and passage through and out of Irish EEZ" it said in a statement. Sanctions impact Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the EU, UK and the US have imposed restrictions on Russia's energy sector, aiming to weaken its economy and limit its ability to fund the war. As part of that, specific ships have been banned from EU territorial waters, denied insurance, and prevented from accessing certain maritime services as well as all European ports and territorial waters. Last week the EU announced its 18th sanctions package against Russia which includes an additional 105 vessels being banned from accessing EU ports and locks, or undertaking ship-to-ship transfers of oil. The UK also placed sanctions on 135 oil tankers in Russia's "shadow fleet" this week. In total, the EU has now imposed sanctions on more than 400 shadow fleet ships. All European ports are also effectively barred from temporarily storing, handling, or processing Russian crude oil and petroleum products, with limited exceptions. However, even with the sanctions, income generated by Russia's exports have remained stable. The federation exported 7.8million barrels of oil per day in 2021, a figure that had dipped only slightly three years later to 7.5million barrels per day, as it successfully redirected supplies to countries like China and India, according to the International Energy Agency. John O'Brennan, Professor of European Politics at Maynooth University, attributes that at least in part to the activity of the shadow fleet, and says that individual European countries could do more to step up enforcement at a national level. "Some national authorities within the EU have been less than vigilant about upholding those sanctions. That gap is one that Russia has been successfully able to exploit over the last couple of years," Prof O'Brennan added. Prof O'Brennan noted some Greek shipping owners have been prominent in selling their old vessels on to Russia to repurpose, rather than spending money on scrapping them.
Irish Times
6 minutes ago
- Irish Times
‘Year of change' at Rye River Brewing sees losses rise despite jump in sales
Rye River Brewing , the Kildare -based craft brewer, has reported a more than €521,000 after-tax loss for 2024 as commercial and one-off project costs ate into rising gross profits at the Celbridge -headquartered company. The brewer moved into contract brewing this year with a deal to produce the popular Galway Hooker brand of beers. In spite of the losses, chief executive and founder Tom Cronin described it as a strong period for the business amid a decline in the wider craft beer market and what he described as a 'big year of change' for Rye River. Speaking to The Irish Times this week, Mr Cronin said the brewery moved away from its 24-hour, seven-day production cycle last year after it commissioned and installed a new brewhouse. READ MORE He said Rye River, which rebranded from McGargles in 2021, is now home to the fourth-largest brewhouse in Ireland and the largest among independent brewers. 'We never stopped production throughout the installation and commissioning programme, which was a feat in its own right,' he said. 'We also took occupancy of a new 16,000sq ft warehouse on site, which again was constructed without any downtime to operations in 2024.' [ Rye River Brewing Company secures €3.3m from sale of HQ facility Opens in new window ] New accounts filed by DP Financial, the trading company behind the brewery, reveal that turnover expanded by 7 per cent in the year to more than €9.1 million, which Mr Cronin said was driven by 'strong domestic and export performance'. He said Rye River grew its sales volumes by 17.7 per cent as the company 'pivots and adapts to the industry challenges'. After-tax losses widened from €458,536 to slightly more than €521,000 as distribution costs and administrative expenses jumped. Administrative costs – which jumped by about 7 per cent to €1.85 million, largely due to one-off project costs associated with the new brewhouse – bit into the brewery's €1.97 million gross profit, leaving it with an operating loss of €297,663. Rye River's distribution costs jumped by almost 20 per cent to more than €440,000 in 2024, which Mr Cronin said related to an increase in headcount and the impact of the increase in the minimum wage. The company employed 66 people last year, an increase of four from 2023. The filings also reveal that it extended its €2.75 million loan agreement with Elm Corporate Credit in December. Elm, a credit vehicle established in 2018 to lend to Irish SMEs, is a subsidiary of Dublin-based private credit firm DunPort Capital , which controls the majority of Rye River's shares, according to its most recent annual return. Looking ahead, Mr Cronin said RY River has traded well in the first half of the year but 'will need to adapt further' in the second half, due to the likely impact of US president Donald Trump 's tariff agenda. He said rising non-domestic water charges will also impact costs. Earlier this year, Rye River announced that it would take over the production of the Galway Hooker beer range from Connacht Group on a contract basis as consolidation in the craft beer industry continues apace.
Irish Times
6 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Guinness Storehouse offered as location for Ireland's EU presidency events
The Guinness Storehouse has been offered as a potential location for events during Ireland's presidency of the European Union next year. The offer was made during a meeting between Guinness owners Diageo and Micheál Martin when US president Donald Trump's threatened import tariffs were also discussed. A Lobbying Register return shows Diageo sought the meeting to 'ensure awareness of the business impact of the US tariffs' as well as to discuss the Irish and EU response. Ireland takes on the presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2026 and it is expected a summit of leaders and 22 meetings of ministers from all bloc's states will be hosted here. READ MORE Dublin's Guinness Storehouse tourist attraction previously featured on the itinerary of the late Queen Elizabeth II during her 2011 visit to Ireland. A note of an April 11th meeting between Diageo Ireland managing director Barry O'Sullivan and Mr Martin, released by the Department of the Taoiseach in response to a Freedom of Information request, said Diageo 'offered to work with the Irish Government in context of forthcoming Irish presidency of the EU'. It is understood the company offered the use of the Guinness Storehouse at St James's Gate and other facilities as possible locations to host events. The note of the meeting also said the discussion 'mainly focused' on latest developments in EU-US trade and the 'potential implications of tariffs for Ireland-US trade, the impact of ongoing uncertainty on investment decisions, and the close integration between markets on both parts of the island, and with Great Britain'. The two sides 'agreed to stay in contact'. Diageo is also said to have 'provided an update on their business and investment plans in Ireland, noting in particular the success of the Guinness Zero brand.' Neither Diageo or the Department of the Taoiseach offered further detail in response to queries from The Irish Times on what was discussed in relation to 'uncertainty on investment decisions' and whether there were implications for any of the company's plans in Ireland. Diageo was among a number of other drinks manufacturers and representative organisations that attended a separate meeting with the Taoiseach, also on April 11th. A note of that meeting shows that lobby organisation Drinks Ireland warned that Ireland's plans for health labels on alcohol products had been 'identified as a barrier to trade by the US'. The industry was said to be 'open to labelling requirements', but was seeking a delay in their introduction. Mr Martin is said to have 'noted the comments of Drinks Ireland in this regard'. The Government decided on Tuesday to delay the labelling measure for two years until 2028 amid continuing trade uncertainty.
