Latest news with #AnPost
Irish Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Daily Mirror
Kellie Harrington slams 'worrying' proposal: 'Surely it is some sort of joke'
Irish Olympic hero Kellie Harrington has slammed a proposal that would see part of inner city Dublin redeveloped. Harrington has voiced her concerns over plans for parts of the inner city to be redeveloped, namely the Sheriff Street area and part of Amiens Street, and believes that the proposal is very worrying. The topic came to the forefront in recent weeks after An Post CEO David McRedmond, who is a member of the Irish government's City Centre Task Force, praised plans to "completely rebuild the Sheriff Street area from Amiens Street to Spencer Dock," in a Business Post article. When pushed on his comments, McRedmond clarified himself and said that the project was concerned with "renewing public space" and that it wasn't about people's homes and houses in the area. However, in a video shared by Dublin Councillor Daniel Ennis which shows a 3D mock-up of what a redeveloped Sheriff Street and surrounding areas would look like, a clear reference is made to renovating and redeveloping existing homes in the area. Commenting on the video shared by Councillor Ennis on social media, Harrington wrote: No this can not be real??? Surely it is some sort of joke??? "Do they think they can flatten the homes of all these families ? What's going on in this country ? The fact this video has been made and the community has no understanding of it is very very worrying." A proud native of Sheriff Street, Harrington is an icon of the inner city and has enjoyed joyous homecoming celebrations in the area following her Olympic gold medal wins in 2021 and 2024. In a later post, Councillor Ennis has stated that he is seeking a meeting urgently with the City Centre Task Force to discuss the matter.
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Politicians come worst out of a row over An Post's finances
The axiom that the cover-up is often worse than the crime in politics is generally associated with the 1970s Watergate scandal, which saw the resignation of Richard Nixon as US president. Applying it to the brouhaha over the question of who trashed An Post at Cabinet this week is open to the accusation of being unsporting and using too much gun. But at the same time we have a Cabinet Minister accusing one of his colleagues of leaking details of a briefing he gave on An Post in a deliberately damaging way. The report in the Irish Daily Mail suggested Communications Minister Patrick O'Donovan told Cabinet that the company was on the brink of collapse, with cash reserves of less than €1 million. The paper said that, without the revenue generated by election-related mailing, the company would have made a loss last year. The report so annoyed An Post chief executive, David McRedmond, that he interrupted his holiday in Italy to go on Morning Ireland and paint a different picture : one of a company in rude good health. He said the accounts presented to Cabinet showed revenues of €1 billion for the first time and net profits of €10 million. READ MORE O'Donovan promptly followed him on to the Claire Byrne show on RTÉ radio and somehow managed to agree with McRedmond that the company was in good shape, without saying that the Irish Daily Mail story was wrong. Instead, he turned his ire on his Cabinet colleagues, accusing one of them of leaking a distorted version of his briefing. 'But how a nameless minister or alleged nameless minister or source or whatever, would conflate that [his briefing] into saying this, the situation is dire. I don't know how they will come up with that.' If we take O'Donovan at face value – and we have no reason not to – he has made a very serious allegation that one of his colleagues deliberately broke the law in order to damage a State-owned business that employs 10,000 people, and which is one of Ireland's most trusted brands. And the potential damage is significant, according to McRedmond, who warned it might cause big global customers to lose confidence in the business. As ever the question is: why would someone do this? It is no secret that there are different views on An Post in Government. The briefing document for the incoming Minister in the Department of Public Expenditure, which was released earlier this year, makes the following observation: 'An Post's financial position remains extremely challenging. Mail volumes continue to decline and new services such as parcels are more competitive and hence lower margin. Significant existing State support means there is some ability to address sustainability, but this is limited.' [ Ireland's economic plans threatened amid 'sobering' outlook Opens in new window ] There is no suggestion that the new minister, Jack Chambers , leaked the details of O'Donovan's briefing. His department's position is pretty much word for word the most recent assessment of An Post carried out by New Era, which provides financial and commercial advice to minsters and their department on semi-state company holdings. It is a somewhat different picture from the upbeat one pained by McRedmond, but it is not hard to reconcile them. McRedmond was brought in from the private sector to run An Post in 2016, having previously worked in TV3 (now Virgin Media) and Eir. The focus in the private sector is essentially short term. The future cannot be controlled, and the most important thing is this year's figures. If you were not optimistic you would not be in business. McRedmond said as much on Morning Ireland in connection with the once-off revenue associated with election mailings that flattered last year's figures. 'Yes, we got a big boost from the elections last year, but if it wasn't the elections, it would be something else,' he said. The public sector takes a longer-term and more conservative approach, as epitomised by New Era's assessment of An Post's prospects. McRedmond's sangfroid on its own is not going to cut it for New Era, when it comes to recommending that the Government accede to his request for more capital and higher borrowing limits. McRedmond wants this to further An Post's transformation into a delivery business competing with giants such as DHL and UPS. [ David McRedmond: 'An Post has been brilliant. I've never been remunerated less and enjoyed a job more' Opens in new window ] It is still somewhat baffling why leaking details of a Cabinet meeting would enhance anyone's position in this debate. It's possible, of course, that it's more cock-up than conspiracy. The story was really a nothing burger and only took off after McRedmond's performance on Morning Ireland, which was followed up by O'Donovan's accusations on Claire Byrne. It would not be the first time that the leaking of a titbit to a newspaper had spiralled out of control. But the situation remains that a Government Minister has publicly and emphatically accused an unidentified Cabinet colleague of breaching confidentiality and leaking confidential information in a nefarious manner. That is something that has to be taken seriously.
Irish Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Might cuts reduce RTÉ to a newsdesk with a few commissioning editors attached?
When the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport addressed Morning Ireland on RTÉ Radio 1 on Wednesday over a controversy at a State-funded body under his charge, for once it wasn't about RTÉ itself. This time it was An Post and the alleged leak of confidential material that the Minister, Patrick O'Donovan , had presented to Cabinet. Inevitably, however, talk soon turned to the national broadcaster and the programme of reforms that management had signed up to in the aftermath of the 2023 scandal over payments to top talent. RTÉ is on a 'journey of transformation', the Fine Gael TD said. Asked about the pace of change at the broadcaster, O'Donovan said many of his 'responsibilities' to put the reforms into motion are contained in the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill, currently before the Dáil. Over a flurry of meetings in recent weeks, the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Media has been scrutinising the general scheme of the Bill. What is clear now on the eve of the summer Dáil recess is that the finalised legislation will have to feed a lot of mouths, and not everyone is going to be satiated. Members of the committee have heard evidence from an array of executives, from RTÉ, TG4 and Virgin Media Television to domestic streaming platforms such as LOITV and GAA+, each with their particular asks and additions. Represented by Screen Producers Ireland (SPI) , independent or commercial television production companies – which stand to gain a lot from the legislation – have also made contributions. READ MORE RTÉ and its funding are central to the Bill, but its reach extends far beyond Dublin 4. One of the most important and potentially transformative planks of the legislation is its transposition into law of the Future of Media Commission 's (FOMC's) recommendation that RTÉ should be legally required to spend 25 per cent of its public funding on programming commissioned from private production companies. [ Dozens of reforms recommended to RTÉ in wake of pay controversy have been delayed Opens in new window ] Naturally, the sector has been full-throated in its support for this 'most welcome' measure, as SPI chief Susan Kirby told the committee last month. RTÉ itself flagged the recommendation in its transformation strategy, dubbed A New Direction, published last summer. It said it wanted to be spending 27 per cent of its public funding, about €70 million, on commissioned programming by 2027, compared to something like €40 million this year. At best, this now appears to have been overly ambitious. In his opening submission to the committee, RTÉ director of video Steve Carson reiterated the organisation's commitment to the 25 per cent. However, he said that reaching that target is ultimately 'contingent' on completion of the broadcaster's transformation plan. David McWilliams on how 'big incentives' to build could save Dublin city Listen | 36:51 In particular, Carson said the 'ambitious voluntary exit' scheme currently under way at Montrose – through which RTÉ wants to shed 400 jobs – is 'central' to the turnaround programme. Against that backdrop, the final legislation should give RTÉ 'sufficient latitude' for a 'transition period' of five years, he said, something the FOMC recommended in its 2022 report. In other words, the broadcaster now says it will be 2030 before it can reach the 25 per cent target. What changed between the publication of A New Direction in the summer of 2024 and June 2025, when Carson appeared before the committee? In a statement this week, a spokesman for RTÉ said the proposed change in the timeline is due to the 'significant delay in the approval of RTÉ's voluntary exit programme'. Ministerial delays, described last year as frustrating by RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst , meant the scheme only received approval in March and then opened in April. [ Numbers prosecuted for not having TV licence down despite wave of evasion set off by RTÉ scandal Opens in new window ] Additionally, the spokesman said the level of 'agreed public funding' for the broadcaster is 'lower than funding sought by RTÉ to deliver its five-year strategy', which 'has an impact on the number of exits that RTÉ can afford to deliver each year'. RTÉ remains 'fully committed' to increasing spending on commissioned programming, he said, but the timing is contingent on the transformation strategy. Still, television production companies are deeply concerned about this surprising development. Asked for comment this week, Kirby of the SPI said the sector is 'very grateful' that the Minister put this FOMC recommendation into the legislation, but is aware that 'due to fixed costs and other challenges', RTÉ is seeking flexibility in the 'time frame' for adoption. She said: 'This is enormously challenging for the independent production sector to accept, given that RTÉ not reaching this 25 per cent would mean significantly reduced investment for a growing sector.' According to SPI's estimates, 'reduced investment' in the sector could amount to between €50 million and €60 million over five years, Kirby said, if implementation is pushed out to 2030. 'For RTÉ to be successful in achieving its own strategy, 25 per cent should be maintained as the legislative requirement for it to invest in the independent production sector,' she warned. While RTÉ management backs the move, there is a great deal of trepidation among journalists, technicians and creative workers at the broadcaster that it could be an attempt at backdoor privatisation. The committee's scrutiny of the Broadcasting Bill was book-ended by appearances from Bakhurst and other senior managers in May, and trade unions representing workers at the broadcaster last week. In a late-evening session, the organisation's trade union group (TUG) told TDs and Senators that morale is 'awful' and 'horrific' amid what they have characterised as swingeing cuts across several areas, from religious affairs programming to current affairs, that have resulted in the cancellation of Upfront with Katie Hannon and the farming out of The Late Late Show and Fair City to the private sector. Workers are 'blue in the face' asking for consultations with management, said Sorcha Vaughan, secretary of the TUG, which comprises the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), Siptu, Connect and Unite. Vaughan added that the 25 per cent mandate is being used as a battering ram of sorts for cuts at the broadcaster, with workers being told 'we need to become smaller, the shows will be going'. It's worth noting that RTÉ at least has secure and predictable funding until 2027, under the multiannual funding agreement reached with the Government last year - the first such arrangement of its type Trevor Keegan, co-chair of the union group, also raised questions about the broadcaster's plans for studio space in Montrose. Much of this appears to have hit home with committee members, one of whom said this week they were concerned that RTÉ will turn into a newsdesk, with a few commissioning editors attached to it. Overarching all of this is a much bigger question about whether the legislation creates the type of certainty around funding for RTÉ that the broadcaster, its workers and the independent production sector all want. The Broadcasting Bill is, among other things, the Government's effort to establish the European Media Freedom Act in Irish law. The European Act says that member states should make sure that all funding procedures for public service media platforms are based on 'transparent and objective criteria laid down in advance'. Public service media organisations should also have 'adequate, sustainable and predictable financial resources corresponding to the fulfilment of and the capacity to develop within their public service remit'. However, having baulked at the FOMC's recommendations around funding, the Coalition's Bill stops well short of scrapping the licence fee and funding RTÉ from the exchequer on a multiyear basis. Instead, it proposes to reform the Coimisiún na Meán -led review processes for public service media provision, which will now take place every three rather than every five years. There will also be half-yearly rather than annual reviews. Based on these processes, the regulator will make recommendations to the Minister about funding levels for RTÉ and TG4. RTÉ commended the strengthening of the regulator's role but told the committee that the general scheme of the Bill does not set out a timeline for the Government's response to the recommendations. This 'puts the viability of the contingent deliverables at risk', the broadcaster's director of video Steve Carson said in June. It's worth noting that RTÉ at least has secure and predictable funding until 2027, under the multiannual funding agreement reached with the Government last year – the first such arrangement of its type. Meanwhile, TG4 has no such certainty, an issue raised by the broadcaster's chief executive Deirdre Ní Choistín and others at the committee in recent weeks. [ Is RTÉ really in a worse position than any other media company? Opens in new window ] SPI put a finer point on the matter in its submission. The industry body queried whether this aspect of the Bill actually meets the requirements of the European Media Freedom Act around the predictability of funding. Simply, it said there is 'no obligation' on the Minister's part to accept Coimisiún na Meán's recommendations. In other words, funding for RTÉ and public service media more broadly will remain a political football. Government officials, however, are confident the new system will represent a sea change in the funding of public service broadcasting. If there is a certain degree of scepticism about this aspect of the legislation, it has been at least somewhat influenced by O'Donovan's decision to effectively scrap the so-called Netflix levy. Recommended by Coimisiún na Meán and supported by the broadcasters and screen producers, the levy was supposed to raise funds for independent productions and Irish language programming. The levy is now in limbo after the Minister said in April that the Government would not introduce it without his approval, citing concerns around the additional cost burden on Irish subscribers. With the Trump administration heavily criticising foreign countries for putting up trade barriers to large US multinationals, some in Ireland believe the Coalition's change of tack on the levy is at least partially a case of not wanting to poke the bear. Still, not everyone is enamoured of the idea. Last week, representatives of the League of Ireland 's streaming platform LOITV and GAA+ expressed concern that the levy could massively heighten their operating costs. They asked that any levy be progressively tiered, taking in more from larger streamers than smaller ones. LOITV operates on a 'break-even basis', League of Ireland director Mark Scanlon told the committee last week, and all of the revenues from subscriptions are ploughed back into the participating clubs. 'So all the costs are being covered at this moment in time, production costs and then also costs [of hiring] commentators. Any levy would impact our ability to deliver the service.' Those concerns may be moot if the levy is the dead letter that many believe it to be. Asked for comment this week, a spokesman for the Minister said his position on the charge has 'not changed' in recent months. However, he said: 'The Minister recognises the detailed scrutiny of the general scheme is being undertaken by the committee and will review any recommendations made by the committee in the context of the pre-legislative scrutiny report that will be submitted to him.' Scrutiny of the Bill is set to continue when the Dáil sits again after the summer recess, after the committee requested additional time, and industry stakeholders will be closely following the remainder of the process and the committee's report. In the meantime, after an avalanche of headlines related to his brief in recent weeks, the break is coming at a good time for O'Donovan and his department.
BreakingNews.ie
6 days ago
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Taoiseach expresses ‘full confidence' in An Post
The Taoiseach has expressed 'full confidence' in An Post, adding that Cabinet has had no discussion about the organisation 'being on the brink'. It comes after reports claimed that Arts Minister Patrick O'Donovan told Cabinet colleagues that the postal service would have seen a 'substantial loss' last year without revenue generated by general and European election post. Advertisement An Post chief executive David McRedmond described the reports as 'utter garbage' and said the company is 'performing extremely well'. An Post chief executive David McRedmond (Niall Carson/PA) On Wednesday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin expressed confidence in Mr McRedmond and the board of An Post. Mr Martin said he could understand the chief executive's 'anger and annoyance' over the reports on the company's accounts, adding: 'What happened was wrong.' He told reporters: 'I'm not apportioning blame anywhere, I simply do not know.' Advertisement However, he said: 'There was no discussion about An Post being on the brink or anything like that. 'The company turned a profit last year and had improved its situation significantly from the previous year.' Mr Martin described An Post as a 'very effective company' that under Mr McRedmond's leadership had 'adapted very well to changing trends' in mail, postage and packages. He told reporters: 'In terms of the core business, the company has been very resilient in the face of fairly fundamental change of behaviour. Advertisement 'There will be challenges ahead, and (the) importance is to be able to identify changing behaviours and changing trends, and then position the company to deal with that.' Mr Martin said the overall picture for the company was 'better this year than last year'. Earlier, Mr O'Donovan said he is confident about the future of An Post, describing the company as 'viable and profitable'. Arts Minister Patrick O'Donovan (Niall Carson/PA) Mr O'Donovan presented the postal service's annual report to Cabinet on Tuesday. Advertisement Following claims that An Post is in a 'dire financial situation', Mr O'Donovan said that the postal service has been transformed in recent years under the leadership of Mr McRedmond. Mr O'Donovan said: 'The issue here is quite actually extraordinary. A set of accounts was brought forward by me yesterday to the Cabinet meeting, and I'm not going to breach Cabinet confidentialities because I'm constitutionally prevented from doing that, as is everybody else. 'But obviously somebody decided that that wasn't going to be the case.' Mr O'Donovan told RTÉ's Today with Claire Byrne programme that An Post has returned to profit following some challenging years. Advertisement 'One of the things that has been conflated as well in some of the media reports, which isn't helpful either, and I think David McRedmond set the record straight, as people are conflating An Post with the independent postmasters. 'To be quite honest about it, it is showing, particularly from some politicians, a lack of understanding of what An Post is and a lack of understanding of what an independent contractor who works for An Post is.' Mr O'Donovan added: 'But how would a nameless minister or alleged nameless minister or source or whatever, would conflate that into saying that the situation is dire. I don't know how they would come up with that.' Speaking to RTÉ Radio 1, Mr McRedmond said he was 'absolutely furious' by the claims. 'That report is utter garbage. I'm here in Italy, on my holidays, I'm absolutely furious to read something like that,' he said. 'The company presented its results. The results were presented to Cabinet yesterday. They showed the highest revenue we've ever had, over a billion revenues for the first time. 'They showed that we grew our earnings from €38 million to €55 million. 'They showed that our net profit was at 10 million. The company is performing extremely well. 'We've got the highest level of parcel growth of any postal operation in Europe. So I just don't understand it.' He rejected claims that without profits generated from last year's general and European elections, it would have made a substantial loss. 'It's just simply not true, and it's not how companies work. Yes, we got a big boost in the elections last year, but if it wasn't the elections, it would be something else, and with the elections, we've huge costs with them,' he added. 'It was irresponsible leak from a Government minister, which is wholly unacceptable. 'These are not the actions of a responsible shareholder. The company is doing really well.' He also rejected claims that cash reserves have fallen below one million euros. 'We have at the end of the year with 38 million cash reserves, and this year, so far this year, we are performing well ahead of our budget, and our budget for this year is to beat last year. 'I'm talking to Government about it. I hope there's just some big misunderstanding somewhere, and the company, as I say, is doing really well.'
The Journal
6 days ago
- Business
- The Journal
War of words breaks out on the airwaves between An Post boss and a minister — what's going on?
THE CEO OF An Post was pretty 'furious' on the radio this morning. Fast forward a few hours and a Government minister was out on the news denying that he leaks from Cabinet. So why has a row broken out over An Post? Well, it began with Cabinet ministers yesterday discussing An Post's future. Ministers were briefed that the while profits were up in the organisation, there has been a fall off in mail. Ministers were told that the Department of Arts, Culture and Sport is to consider a number of proposals, including a system whereby post might not be delivered daily and there might need to a consolidation of distribution centres. Senior ministers said their impression of the discussion was that next day delivery for letters was no longer tenable, but as one minister told The Journal today: 'An Post is always under pressure.' The Irish Daily Mail also reported today An Post is facing a 'dire financial situation', alleging that cash reserves dropped below €1 million for the first time. This, in particular, appears to have irked the An Post boss, David McRedmond, who picked up the phone to call RTÉ's Morning Ireland while he is on his holidays in Italy. He told the radio programme that he was furious over what he described as an 'irresponsible leak' by 'a Government minister' relating to the company's finances. 'I'm here in Italy, on my holidays, I'm absolutely furious to read something like that,' he added. 'The results were presented to Cabinet yesterday. They showed the highest revenue we've ever had, over a billion in revenue for the first time. 'They show that we grew our earnings from €38 million to €55 million. They showed that our net profit was €10 million,' he said. So annoyed was the An Post boss, that the organisation released its annual report early, publishing it today. A few hours after McRedmond's radio appearance, O'Donovan, who is responsible for An Post, was out on RTÉ Radio One also, claiming that the leak did not come from him. He added that he is satisfied that An Post is in good financial standing. Advertisement What does the future hold for An Post? Debates around the future of the postal service in Ireland are not new. For over a decade now, the organisation has been seeking more funding to keep post offices open and delivery services operational. Just last month, An Post was before an Oireachtas committee making this very point. Redmond told the committee that he is 'really confident about the future of the post office network'. An Post exceeded €1 billion in revenue for the first time in the company's history, he said at the time. 'There is always difficulty with mail volume decline but we are growing a load of services,' he said. Chairman of An Post, Kieran Mulvey told the committee that he had every confidence in the future of the post office, stating that An Post is 'highly competitive', particularly for parcels. 'That is a significant growth area for us. We operate on a multiplicity of fronts. It is not just about maintaining the post office network and the products that go through it. There is also the centralised delivery of mail parcels throughout the country, including Government services,' said Mulvey. Patrick Neary, Assistant secretary in the Department of Communications, said last month that the decline in mail and financial transactions 'puts pressure' on ensuring that the organisation has new areas of revenue, through Government services and parcel delivery. 'We are working very closely with An Post on its strategy and future strategy. We are supported by other Government agencies in that engagement. To say what the future will be beyond five years is probably a little bit of a stretch for us now. I know An Post's strategy, published last year, looked out for the coming five years and we are very much engaged,' said Neary. What does the Taoiseach make of the row? The Taoiseach was asked about the back-and-forth between O'Donovan and McRedmond, stating that there was no discussion yesterday about An Post 'being on the brink or anything like that'. Micheál Martin said that the company turned a profit last year. 'My main message here is we have full confidence in An Post. I have, as Taoiseach. I've witnessed first over the last decade, the manner in which the company has changed. And changed effectively, I believe, and has adapted very well to fairly disruptive change… 'The company has managed that very well and has managed its human resource change very well also. I was disappointed with the thrust of that story this morning because I don't think it reflects the strength and resilience in the company.' What next? Well, any funding An Post is looking for from the Government will be thrown into the pile of asks ahead of October's budget. Minister of State Michael Healy-Rae told Newstalk today that the Government has an 'obligation' to protect communities' and its post offices. 'If we don't use it, we lose it,' he said, adding that everyone should use their local post office. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
