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Irish Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Housing emergency? Ireland is not even acting at the level of mildly urgent
Housing , the Taoiseach and Tánaiste pronounce regularly, is the Government's 'number one priority'. Then what does it say about the Coalition when things are so demonstrably getting worse? There is a growing tendency around Government Buildings and Leinster House to mutter about the performance of new housing minister James Browne , and not just among Fine Gaelers. Not up to the job, they sniff. A bit at sea. Overwhelmed. Maybe they're right – probably too soon to make a fair judgment – but this isn't Browne's failure. It's a whole of Government failure and it's being going on for a long time. READ MORE Are there viable pleas in mitigation? Sure. The bust wiped out the construction industry (though that was a decade and a half ago). Covid froze things for a year and a half. The planning laws and processes seem designed to prevent the provision of housing. Inflation has driven up costs, rogering the developers' sums. Banks are too slow to lend. The courts seem eager to quash planning permissions, often for flimsy reasons. But does all that excuse the Government's performance? Not at this stage. We are heading for a decade of failure to get to grips with a growing social disaster. That's long enough to fix things, even in Ireland. This is a Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil failure and they are running out of time to fix it. The evidence that things are going in the wrong direction is mounting lately. Last week, reported that the cost of renting increased by an average of 3.4 per cent in the first three months of 2025, with the increases taking the monthly average open-market rent to over €2,000 for the first time. Meanwhile, despite the skyrocketing rents, home ownership is in freefall among the young. This is deeply socially destabilising. A friend reports from a terrace of two-up-two-downers in Ringsend that there is a queue down the street of prospective renters for a nearby house. The rent? Nearly three grand a month. The figures for the delivery of new housing, meanwhile, are also going in the wrong direction. On Tuesday, the ESRI told an Oireachtas committee that there will be no big increase in housing supply this year or next year. The numbers might get to 34,000 this year and 37,000 in 2026, but 'most of the risks weigh on the downside'. [ ESRI to warn Government of no major uptick in housing supply this year or next Opens in new window ] And even if those numbers are achieved, that would require 78,000 houses to be completed for each of the following three years to meet the Government's promises of 300,000 units during its term. What, do we think, are the chances of that happening? Meanwhile, water utility Uisce Éireann has said that it may be unable to grant any new connections in the Dublin area by 2028 . And the secretary general of the Department of Climate and Energy told the Oireachtas committee that the squeeze on energy connections was such that they might have to choose between housing and artificial intelligence (AI). Data centres are scheduled to guzzle 30 per cent of our electricity by 2030. In recent days I've spoken to two housing developers, each responsible for thousands of units and desperate to build more. Both are pretty much tearing their hair out at the planning, bureaucratic and legal barriers put in their way. One says he cannot plan anything because of the lack of certainty over what's happening with rent pressure zones and possible tax changes. Both measures were flagged as possibilities five months ago; there is still no sign of a decision. 'We can't take a view on whether projects are viable because we have no certainty on anything,' he says. Even on existing projects, the processes are ridiculously time-consuming. He has been waiting seven months for clarity on one design feature. The entire industry is 'sitting on its hands', he says. The other developer spent three years preparing an application for permission for 500 units. The planning inspector recommended the go ahead. But An Bord Pleanála nixed it. The board could have put conditions on it and construction would be under way by now, but instead it refused outright. So, back to the drawing board. 'This is not a system that promotes supply,' the developer says. 'It is a system that retards supply.' [ Ireland's housing perma-crisis returns to centre of political agenda Opens in new window ] Everyone talks about an emergency, but the reality is that at no level is the system set up to deliver housing at scale and quickly. In fact, the very opposite seems to be the case. There is simply no way that the current system of housing provision – from finance to planning to utility provision to actual construction – can solve the housing crisis. There is a very quiet school of thought in parts of the Government that says the political fallout from all this is actually already baked in – that the people who are most concerned about housing don't vote for the Government parties anyway. I don't think that's right. I think there are a lot of people that gave Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael the benefit of the doubt on housing at the last election, but will turn against them if the crisis is not substantially eased by the next election. But even if I'm wrong about that, there is surely an overwhelming moral responsibility on the Government to fix housing. The only way to do this is to begin actually acting like it is an emergency. Special planning powers, tax incentives, rapid approval for expenditure – whatever it takes. Emergency? Come off it. We're not at the level of mildly urgent.
The Journal
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Journal
Frances Black '98%' certain she will not contest this year's presidential election
SENATOR FRANCES BLACK has said that she is 98% sure that she will not be going forward with a presidential run following speculation. Earlier this year, Black told The Late Late Show that she was 'open to the conversation' of a potential run, though she cautioned that she was not 'actively seeking' a nomination for the office. Today, she told Anton Savage on Newstalk that she was approached by a number of the smaller parties within Leinster House some months ago, who asked if she would be interested in putting her name forward. She said she was open to the conversation, Black said today. 'And after that, nothing has happened. I haven't heard anymore. There's been no discussions,' she said. Advertisement 'It's not something I'm seeking. It's not something I'm actively looking for. I've seen how other campaigns have been run, and they have been, I could only describe blood baths. So it's not something that I would want to be honest with you.' Last month, Dana Rosemary Scallan spoke out about her experience contesting the presidential election for the second time in 2011. Describing her campaign as a 'truly terrible time', she grew emotional throughout her interview and said it still felt like a 'well of grief'. Black said that on the beginning she had felt it a 'privilege' to be considered, but as rumours took off, 'it was overwhelming'. 'It's very late in the day,' she said. She added that her focus remains on the Occupied Territories Bill, which she said she would love to have signed into law by incumbent President Michael D Higgins, who will end his second and final term in November. Asked about the 2% of uncertainty on her potential contesting of the presidency, Black replied: 'I suppose there's a part of me that feels, if I'm the right person – I'm not sure I am – but if I am the right person, then that's the 2%. And I do feel I have a responsibility to consider it. That's really what it is. That's all it is.' There is no front runner for the presidency at present. A number of people have ruled themselves out of the race, including Heather Humphreys and Michael McDowell. A candidate still understood to be vying for an Áras bid is Luke 'Ming' Flanagan. 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
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Miriam Lord's week: Influencer Richie Herlihy's foul-mouthed review of Dáil restaurant leaves a bad taste
The Dáil's Regional Independent Group has lodged a complaint to the Ceann Comhairle and the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission after a social media influencer posted a foul-mouthed and scathing review of the meal he was served in the Dáil members' restaurant while there as the guest of an Independent Ireland TD. Cork-based content creator Richie Herlihy, who robustly reviews spice boxes and other takeaway favourites for his online platforms, visited Leinster House a month ago on the invitation of Cork North Central TD, Ken O'Flynn. On the day, Deputy O'Flynn told the Dáil his friend, who also runs a food truck, 'has the best battered sausage in Cork'. After his visit, the comedian/influencer uploaded a video on Facebook , TikTok and Instagram. The visit also featured on Independent Ireland's social media feeds. READ MORE Richie began by giving a plug to the menswear shop in Cork where he picked his new suit for the occasion. And he said there was 10 per cent off everything in the shop for his followers (126,000 and counting on TikTok and 85,000 on Facebook). Then he meets Ken 'the legend himself', who is seen showing him around the place. He loved that, as he also loved the 'as creamy as they f***in' get' pints served in the bar. He didn't like the food, though. Taking photographs and videos without permission is prohibited in the public areas of Leinster House, including the bars and restaurants. There are strict rules around this, although in recent years, as everyone has a mobile phone, an unspoken tolerance has developed for people taking discreet pictures for personal use. Richie's visit, though, was something of a production. He set up a camera with a microphone attached on a tripod beside his table in the restaurant where he sat next to Ken O'Flynn. A friend simultaneously recorded the scene on his phone. The camera zoomed in on his chicken liver pate and an opinion was given. 'Like dog food' with 'burnt' toast, which was 'actually f***in' soggy' like it was 'cooked on a radiator'. As for his chicken curry. 'I'd say Micheál Martin cooked this yoke anyway because I've had better microwaved dinners out of Lidl. Absolute garbage, chicken tough as a badger's arse.' Could they not get it right 'with all the money [they] waste up in the f***in' Dáil . . . absolute sh***.' There were scenes of banter with Ken in his office, and as Richie walked the corridors he commented for his followers: 'There's a smell of vermin in here, vermin in the f**kin' hallways!'. Richie said Ken treated him like gold and all the TDs he met were very nice. He met none of the TDs he wouldn't get along with, but if he had, he would have given them a piece of his mind. As he was leaving, the content creator talked about having to wash the 'smell of vermin' out of his suit 'because of the other rats that are in there'. The video upset the hard-working catering staff in particular. The politicians were angered on their behalf and they weren't amused by the references to vermin either. The video was deleted soon afterwards but it is still doing the rounds on Kildare Street. Staffers are still very annoyed about it. This prompted the Regional Group to lodge a formal complaint and request that Deputy O'Flynn apologise to the catering staff. The group comprises the Lowry TDs, Danny Healy-Rae, Mattie McGrath, Carol Nolan and those junior ministers previously attached to the group. Minister of State Noel Grealish said he sat down and spoke to the staff because 'they were extremely upset' over the video. 'They take pride in their job and they take pride in the quality of the food they produce.' Meanwhile, Mattie McGrath took the issue to the floor of the Dáil on Wednesday when he called for an apology from Ken O'Flynn, who hosted the influencer. 'A deputy brought an outside person into this House with a tripod and camera. That person made appalling videos and denigrated the excellent staff of this House in the restaurant and the excellent cuisine on offer there,' he told the Dáil. Meanwhile, there will be no apology from Richie Herlihy. 'These politicians should have more on their plate with the state they have the country in, instead of this handbags' he told us on Friday. 'I told the truth that day, food I got was shocking, and some of them politicians including Mattie McGrath should be busy working on the real problems in this country. There have been threats to public safety from the people they have let into Ireland. Should be more on their agenda to be keeping the Irish people safe than to be attacking me about a bit of banter with a bit of truth in it!' We were unable to contact Deputy O'Flynn. Emotive fox-hunting issue attracted outsiders to the Dáil, some of whom arrived on all fours Rural based TDs Danny Healy-Rae and Independent Ireland's Michael Collins were criticised on Wednesday for trying to stop the passage of a Bill to ban fox hunting at its first stage. Ruth Coppinger of People Before Profit introduced it in the Dáil. She was gobsmacked when the two deputies spoke against it and Danny called for a vote. It is common practice for Bills to go through on the nod for a full debate at the next stage. The Dublin West TD said it was 'unprecedented' for a TD to try to prevent a Bill from reaching second stage and a full airing in the Dáil. 'I have introduced many controversial things, as have other TDs, and I have never stopped a Bill from going to second stage. I have been told to put on the big-girl pants and allow debate, but here we have a stifling of the freedom of debate and freedom of speech.' Coppinger urged the Government not to back the call to block it . But Healy-Rae said he got calls 'from every corner of Kerry' asking him 'to ensure that we stop this at the start'. Farmers are losing hens and lambs to foxes, he said. 'They're all over the place. They're coming into towns and villages. They're in and out of bins and they're everywhere. They've completely taken over the place.' Collins said foxes are a danger to young lambs and native birds, and controls are needed for 'pests' such as the fox and the hare. People Before Profit TD Ruth Coppinger during a protest against fox hunting on Tuesday. Photograph: Gráinne Ní Aodha/PA Wire 'We have to have some kind of controls, because the next thing is you'll be inside here looking to see if we can protect the rat or the mouse or whatever. And nobody wants to protect the human being, that's the problem here.' As he spoke, a strange noise, like an animal bleating, came from the public gallery where anti-blood sports campaigners were sitting. Collins, a TD for Cork South-West, stopped and looked around. He said: 'Sorry, is that a lamb or what?' Meanwhile, the following evening, as the Dáil voted on whether or not to scupper legislation to outlaw the killing of foxes for 'sport' without a full hearing, one interested observer was spotted sitting stock still at a back door around the services side of the building, as if listening intently. The Bill passed to the next stage. And the little Leinster House fox hurried away. This fox had a particular interest in proceedings at Leinster House Turning the page from one generation of political journalist to the next A big crowd escaped from Leinster House after the weekly voting bloc on Wednesday and streamed down the road towards Hodges Figgis bookshop for the launch of Gavan Reilly's latest opus: The Secret Life of Leinster House. Among the TDs was Government-supporting Independent Barry Heneghan, currently sans moustache, but that could change by next week. Barry was in good form, having just voted against the Government and in favour of Sinn Féin's pro-Palestine Bill seeking to prevent the Irish Central Bank from facilitating the sale of Israeli bonds in the European Union. Veteran newsman and political commentator Sean O'Rourke did the honours at the launch in a lengthy and entertaining speech on how political journalism has changed down through the years. He drew on his own early years with the Irish Press group, focusing on one particular day in the 1980s when the Evening Press released three editions. The early edition trumpeted that Fianna Fáil minister Séamus Brennan was 'on the brink' of resigning. The next edition, a couple of hours later, had 'pressure' mounting on Séamus to go. And the headline on the final, late evening edition, announced that Brennan was staying on. Gavan, whose wife Ciara is a daughter of former GAA president and Kilkenny hurling great Nicky Brennan, could not have spoken for as long as Sean even if he wanted to. Midway through his speech he realised he forgot to order the takeaway for the babysitter and wrapped things up pretty sharpish after that. 'This book will provide an important public service,' said our own Pat Leahy in his review last week. The Secret Life of Leinster House (published by Gill Books at €17.99) clips along at a fair pace and does a good job of explaining for outsiders and aspiring anoraks how the whole place does or doesn't work. Committee meetings could be blink-and-you-miss-it affairs if early indications are accurate The committees are cranking into action after a much-delayed start and a lot of fuss over who would get those coveted committee chairs. The lesser vice-chair prizes are now being decided. This week, the Health Committee voted on a deputy for Pádraig Rice, Social Democrats TD for Cork South-Central. There were two contenders: Fine Gael's Colm Burke from across the way in Cork North-Central and Martin Daly, Fianna Fáil TD for Roscommon-Galway. Colm was a minister of state at the Department of Health in the last government, while Martin, a first-time deputy, is a GP based in Galway and a former president of the Irish Medical Organisation. He is Fianna Fáil's spokesperson on health. Dr Daly, with his extensive experience in the medical world, was seen as favourite for the position. But Colm, who was an MEP and then a senator before he was elected to the Dáil in 2020, proved a very strong campaigner. He got the job, thanks to support from Sinn Féin. A thank-you, perhaps, for Colm signing a cross-party letter sent by Sinn Féin to the Minister for Housing urging him to release immediate funding for the Tenant in Situ Scheme in Cork city. The scheme allows councils to buy rental properties when landlords put them on the market. Colm was the only Government TD to sign the letter. Timing will be a major bone of contention at forthcoming committee meetings. In its desire to please everyone and come up with all sorts of new committees on all sorts of subjects, the time available for sittings has been truncated. Too many com-mit-tees and not enough meeting rooms or staff to cope. This explains why the much-anticipated meeting of RTÉ and the Media Committee was conducted at a breakneck pace by chairman Alan Kelly. They could have gone on for hours, but in a lucky break for RTÉ, this wasn't possible. He had to be out of the room after 2½ hours — and that included their private session — to make way for the daintily titled Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform, Digitalisation, and Taoiseach.
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
The first cracks in the Coalition: ‘Some Independents you would not bring lion-hunting with you'
In December, when Government-formation talks were under way, a Fianna Fáil TD stopped for a chat on the steps of Leinster House. At that time there was still a possibility that Labour might be willing to make a deal. This Fianna Fáil TD clearly preferred that option. 'My gut instinct is to be supported by a bloc,' he mused. 'Labour is a bloc. The Independents have been trying to create one but the reason they are Independent is they have no whip. I worry about a shock.' READ MORE At that moment, an Independent TD appeared on the plinth before him. He nodded at the TD and remarked quietly. 'Some Independents you would not bring lion-hunting with you under any circumstances.' When Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin and his Fine Gael counterpart began formation talks in earnest, one of their primary goals was to create a coalition with a working majority and that would be robust enough to last the full five-year term of the 34th Dáil. In the end they settled for a deal with the Healy-Rae brothers and a group of nine regional Independents TDs, whose chief negotiator was the controversial Tipperary North TD Michael Lowry . When the deal was brokered, Lowry used a by now infamous phrase, vowing support 'through thick and thin'. As has been shown over the past 30 years, most coalitions have some degree of intrinsic brittleness. In the first week of government in 2020, a Green Party TD (Neasa Hourigan) voted against a Government Bill on residential tenancies, and a newly appointed minister of State (Joe O'Brien) abstained. [ Barry Heneghan moves Dáil seat away from Michael Lowry to emphasise his 'independent' status Opens in new window ] Finian McGrath was a left-leaning Independent TD who supported the Fianna Fáil/Green coalition in 2007. When the economy starting hitting the buffers, and austerity measures were introduced, McGrath was frequently baited by the Opposition, who accused him of jettisoning his principles. When a harsh and punitive budget was announced on October 2008, McGrath withdrew his support. Intriguingly, McGrath, who retired from the Dáil in 2020, has acted as a mentor and adviser to Barry Heneghan , the 27-year-old TD representing Dublin Bay North. Heneghan is one of four Government-supporting Independents who does not have a ministerial role: Lowry, Gillian Toole , and Danny Healy-Rae are the others. On Wednesday night, Heneghan voted against the Coalition in favour of the Sinn Féin Bill that would have prevented the Central Bank approving a prospectus that allows Israel to sell bonds in the EU. So did his colleague Toole. Her vote took many people by surprise, as she has not been prominent in that group. The vote was 87 to 75 in favour of the government, still a comfortable margin. [ Independents Barry Heneghan, Gillian Toole vote against Coalition and in favour of Sinn Féin's pro-Palestine Bill Opens in new window ] Was this a once-off? Or was it a straw in the wind? Are we seeing the first flecks of rust in the superstructure? Toole said she had voted that way because of a lack of a detailed briefing from Government. For his part, Heneghan said: 'This is about standing up for international law and basic human rights.' Heneghan has learned over the past six months that when you are a freshman left-leaning TD supporting a centrist Government, there is no such thing as a shallow end. On the issue of Gaza in particular, he was harangued from the Opposition benches, and faced a social media pile-on when he pledged support for the Occupied Territories Bill but voted with the Government against a Sinn Féin motion on the Bill in March. McGrath went public to defend his protege, saying Heneghan would not 'bottle it' on the Bill when all the technical and legal flaws were resolved. 'Unlike many others he is not afraid to make tough decisions and step up,' he said. Heneghan on Thursday indicated that his inexperience told against him for that vote in March. In a sense the vote this week was him standing on his own two feet. Heneghan argues his commitment is to support the programme, financial measures, votes of confidence but there are other issues on which he can vote according to his conscience. Is this twin-track approach consistent and durable? He says it is. One of the five Independents with a ministerial office, Seán Canney, admits that a vote against the Government can cause problems but that this is not on a core issue. 'It's just that Barry and Gillian had a particular issue with this,' he says. 'It's not the case that they are gone, or anything like that. He adds a note of caution: 'It would not want to happen too often.' [ Records show what Independent TDs backing the Government want for their constituencies Opens in new window ] When you speak to Ministers from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael you are immediately struck by a notable sense of fatalism about future Independent defections. A Fine Gael Minister, speaking privately, points to what could be coming down the tracks, and some really tough decisions that might be necessary. 'If our people are voting against the Government on this, you can imagine how they will vote when it's something really unpopular,' says the Minister. A Fianna Fáil Minister, who does not wish to be named, says it is inevitable that the Government will shed numbers. 'It does not take a genius to figure out that the TDs who do not have ministerial gigs will be the flakiest,' he says. That said, nobody in Government is unduly concerned. None can foresee the current majority of 17 falling to single figures, even if a lion-hunting expedition becomes necessary.
Irish Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
RTÉ execs return for another grilling at the media committee barbecue – but where's the beef?
The members of the freshly formed Oireachtas media committee must have been exhausted after their speed-grilling of RTÉ's 'leadership team' during a frenetic Q & A session in the bowels of Leinster House. As for their barbecue meat of choice, the witnesses were only slightly seared compared to the long hours of intensive basting they endured from two separate committees two years ago at the glorious height of the Tubsgate and flip-flop fiasco hearings. New chairman, Labour's Alan Kelly, still sounds traumatised. He was on the Public Accounts Committee at the time. 'I lost days of my life in this room a couple of years ago,' he shuddered on Wednesday, before bravely wading back into the Montrose murk. 'I lost days of my life here.' READ MORE Two more survivors turned up for duty – former senators Malcolm Byrne (FF) and Micheál Carrigy (FG) are back on the media committee, but as TDs this time. The high attrition rate was not lost on one post-election deputy observing the line-up for RTÉ v Leinster House: the rematch. 'More RTÉ executives than politicians survived.' Committee meetings can very dull, under-attended affairs, particularly when the issue under scrutiny isn't headline-friendly. Members just nip in and ask their question for the TikTok before scuttling out. This one was very well attended, on all sides. 'There's enough people here to fill a hurling team, in fairness,' remarked Fianna Fáil TD for Carlow-Kilkenny Peter 'Chap' Cleere, telling the DG it was good to see such a fine turnout. 'So fair play for that.' The chair was pleased to note that all of the committee members were present for duty. In a commendable display of time and people management, Alan and his colleagues managed to get in three rounds of rapid-fire questions in a 2½-hour slot in Committee Room Three. This gave Senator Rónán Mullen a chance to get all his misgivings about the national broadcaster off his chest with persistent questioning about RTÉ 'groupthink' and the feeling many people have that the national broadcaster does not reflect the perspectives of 'a silenced significant minority in this country'. Some people believe there is 'a strong systemic bias in favour of so-called progressive points of view'. Whatever about audience research, do RTÉ ever do any 'staff research' to ascertain if 'too many people think the same way about certain things in your organisation'? Kevin Bakhurst was rather taken aback by this. 'I think that would be a little bit North Korean.' But that didn't stop Rónán, who came back later to suggest an 'audit' of staff to find out if there is 'an excessive' sameness of opinion. 'I'm not going to ask people in RTÉ what their religious or political views are,' replied the DG. 'I didn't mention religious,' shot back Rónán. Perish the thought. 'You could do an audit and you could do it confidentially.' The DG repeated that RTÉ is 'not a North Korean broadcaster'. Wouldn't that be brilliant, though. Professional journalists and management heads hauled into a Donnybrook star chamber so an expert in Dublin 4 wokery could hit them with Mattie McGrath's historic demand from 2023. He shouted it at deputy DG Adrian Lynch at the height of the flip-flop/Tubsgate interrogations. 'Who are ya lyal to?' 'Who am I lying to?' 'No. Who are ya lyal to. Lyal.' 'Oh, loyal. Loyal, loyal, loyal.' Indeed. Now Galwegian Rónán Mullen wants a Spanish Arch Inquisition. Who are those left-wingers in Montrose loyal to? [ RTÉ confirms €3.6m write down on partly abandoned IT project Opens in new window ] Meanwhile, supersleuth Kelly wanted to know if the organisation shared its statements with the Government's Department of Media before appearing. These statements had important detail on who knew what and when about the write-down of more than €3.5 million on an IT system which didn't come up to scratch. This embarrassing loss was politely referred to as 'the impairment' by the witnesses. After much muttering and stuttering all round, it seems that they did share statements. But the committee was told this is not uncommon. Anyway, Alan asked if anybody knew about this huge loss – way more than the Toy Show The Musical flop or a well-known presenter's emoluments set them back – 'when we were sitting here and talking about Ryan Tubridy'. Well, they were and they weren't. An unexpected bonus for the committee popped up last week when reports surfaced about newsroom ructions over a short promotional video currently being shot to showcase RTÉ's excellent newsgathering operation. 'I've never had so many phone calls about an issue, to be honest,' said the committee chairman. Most of them, one assumes, from those many staffers in the newsroom who are not apparently 'livid' over this promo, as their observant leadership team continues to insist. [ Dismay among RTÉ staffers as broadcaster hires actors to play journalists in 'make-believe' ad campaign Opens in new window ] Nothing to see here, stressed newsroom boss Deirdre McCarthy, deferring to the Marketing side for further explanation. Kevin Bakhurst is 'very irritated' by the ongoing coverage. Lookit. There were 'only two plants' brought in to take the bare look off the newsroom and he would expect 'our highly professional promotions team' to do a great job putting the promo together. He thinks it will cost less than €100,000. Those hacks in Montrose must be hallucinating when they talk of seeing way more than two plants in their run-down newsroom where normally ne'er a bit of greenery is to be seen. As for sending a crew to Brussels to film a segment with distinguished Europe reporter Tony Connelly, the two witnesses who might have been expected to say how many went couldn't remember off the top of their heads. A question from Chap Cleere on the hiring of 'diverse extras' for the advert got a fuzzy response. It's all a storm in a teacup, insist the Montrose leadership class. Coming in at under €100k is a good result, apparently. Imagine what the cost could have been if RTÉ didn't have a long-established Promotions Department, staffed by full-time producers and directors who are employed to create these high-profile adverts. Instead, said the DG and his deputy, the only outside cost incurred was for a camera crew as all their own people were otherwise engaged. But then, as the session progressed, things began to unravel a little under some gentle questioning from Senator Garret Ahearne and chairman Kelly. Hirings widened out to cameras, technicians and sound. People would like to see the organisation invest money 'in the creative sector outside RTÉ rather than bring all resources in-house', said Bakhurst. Was the production not run in-house? 'Well, the production team running it are in-house and standard practice would be to get expertise whether it be camera crews or sound people or whatever from outside ...' Clear as mud.
