Former RTÉ executives to be asked if they will lift lid on their exit payoff details

The new director general insisted he would not resign over exit payments made to staff who left RTÉ, such as former director of strategy Rory Coveney, who resigned and got a payment in the region of €200,000 last year.

Mr Coveney had a leading role in Toy Show The Musical, which cost the taxpayer €2.3m. Questions are now being raised about the other exit packages ­given to key executives who left the broadcaster in recent months.

Media Minister Catherine Martin said she told Mr Bakhurst in a meeting yesterday to speak to those former executives and ask if they would “waive their rights”.

“I suggested to him to speak to the ­individuals in question themselves to see if they could waive the rights because there are two parties to the agreement. And I think that is worthy of consideration. And he has agreed to that,” she said.

Mr Bakhurst has insisted he is unable to reveal details of exit packages due to confidentiality agreements.

However, he is now seeking external legal advice as to how more light can be shed on the payments. He told RTÉ’s Drivetime that asking former chief ­financial officer Richard Collins to waive his confidentiality agreement may be part of the discussion he has with him.

He added that Mr Collins was paid to leave and again reiterated that he would not comment on specific figures for any individual.

“What I can say is again, there was a process with Richard, he and I had a discussion.

“I was of the view that I needed to refresh my leadership team, he was of the view that he wanted to stay here,” he said. “In the end, we both agreed that it would be best to go through a mediated legal process.”

Mr Bakhurst said that a confidentiality clause is “standard in mediation processes”.

Separately, Mr Bakhurst said Mr Coveney was never asked to leave without an exit package. “Before I started at RTÉ, Rory came to me and we were discussing the events that had happened and Toy Show The Musical, and Rory came to me and said he didn’t think it was sustainable that he should stay in the role.

“After that conversation, it was then a conversation on what terms he should leave. He had been there 16 years so there were absolutely no grounds to sack Rory on.

“There was always the option for him to go to the WRC, to take the case if he wanted to for wrongful dismissal. However, we agreed on a sum and Rory never pushed on any more money beyond that.”

Mr Bakhurst said Toy Show The Musical was a “disaster” but that it wasn’t all down to Mr Coveney.

Confidentiality agreements should be avoided “if at all possible” in any future exit payments at RTÉ and a cap on these payments should be introduced, said Minister Martin.

Mr Bakhurst has “committed to ­fully examine these proposals”, she said.

The minister said she urged him to examine “all possible options” in bringing more transparency around exit payments paid out to top executives.