The Government is to move on Tuesday to have RTÉ’s finances audited by the State’s spending watchdog, the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG).The change comes almost three years after it came to light that undisclosed payments were made to broadcaster Ryan Tubridy. Minister for Media and Communications Patrick O’Donovan will seek approval for a new Broadcasting Bill at Cabinet on Tuesday. One of its main changes will see the national broadcaster being brought under the remit of the C&AG’s office, led by Séamus McCarthy. It will mean that McCarthy and his team will assume responsibility for auditing RTÉ’s account and will also allow the office to carry out value-for-money examinations to ensure that the broadcaster is making best use of taxpayers’ money. Under the new arrangement, the Dáil’s public spending watchdog, the Public Accounts Committee, will have the power to hold public meetings examining RTÉ’s accounts and spending. Until now, the broadcaster has had its accounts privately audited. In October 2024 then minister for media Catherine Martin announced that the audit would move under the remit of the C&AG. That change was one of the key recommendations of an expert advisory committee (EAC) report on governance and culture in RTÉ.[ Derek Mooney pay controversy compounds image of dysfunction and distrust at RTÉOpens in new window ]Martin set up the committee following a series of issues around payments and governance involving broadcasters and executives at RTÉ. However, the decision from late 2024 to bring in the C&AG has not been given effect until now. Last week, the broadcaster made a fresh disclosure about the pay of presenter and producer Derek Mooney. The nature and wildlife broadcaster, who earned more than €200,000 in 2025, had his classification changed from presenter to producer in 2020. It meant his name did not feature in the list of top 10 highest-paid broadcasters in RTÉ published each year, even though he would have been included if he had remained classified as a presenter. Under the provisions of the new Bill, RTÉ will face stronger reporting requirements including anonymised pay reporting and annual reports on commissioning decisions and spending.As an added layer, the Bill will also provide that media regulator, Coimisiún na Meán, will carry out three-year assessments of RTÉ and TG4 funding and performance, plus annual reviews to ensure accountability and value for money.In addition, rules and standards that currently apply to broadcast content will also apply to RTÉ and TG4 online content such as podcasts and written content. A senior Government source said the Bill would be “a major governance and transparency reform package for public service media”.Taoiseach Micheál Martin said on Monday there were still questions for RTÉ about its transparency. “It is important that we get full clarity in terms of that situation and that RTÉ is not in the news for all the wrong reasons,” he said at an event in Co Kerry. O’Donovan is expected to meet RTÉ’s leadership team on Tuesday, with the Oireachtas Media and Arts Committee expected to hear from senior executives later this week.