RTÉ urged to explain staff cost increase

RTÉ has been urged to explain why its personnel costs increased as a proportion of its overall operating costs last year, despite a commitment to reduce them as part of its long-term reform programme.

Dublin Bay South TD James Geoghegan has questioned figures contained in the broadcaster’s 2025 Annual Report, which show personnel-related operating costs accounted for 50 per cent of total operating costs, up from 49 per cent in 2024.

Deputy Geoghegan, who sits on the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee, said the increase appeared to run contrary to RTÉ’s five-year strategy, which aims to reduce personnel costs to 45 per cent of operating costs by 2029.

Speaking this week, the Fine Gael TD (pictured above) said RTÉ executives had recently told the Public Accounts Committee that reducing personnel costs as a percentage of operating costs was a more meaningful measure of reform than simply reducing staff numbers.

“On their preferred measure, they are going backwards too,” he said.

Deputy Geoghegan also questioned a change in how RTÉ reports its progress against the target.

He said the broadcaster’s 2024 Annual Report measured personnel-related operating costs as a percentage of total operating costs and reported the target as achieved.

“In the 2025 report, he noted that the performance measure had been changed to personnel costs being “at 50 per cent or less” of total operating costs, with RTÉ again recording the target as achieved.

“RTÉ needs to explain how it can declare success when the figure is moving in the wrong direction,” he said.

The Dublin Bay South representative also highlighted staffing figures contained in the annual report.

According to RTÉ’s published accounts, the broadcaster’s average employee numbers increased from 1,962 in 2024 to 1,994 in 2025, despite an earlier commitment to reduce its workforce by up to 400 positions.

Deputy Geoghegan said more than 300 employees had applied for RTÉ’s Voluntary Exit Programme, but only 67 ultimately left under the scheme at a reported cost of €8.5 million.

He said RTÉ had been provided with three years of funding certainty worth €725 million to enable it to implement reforms while maintaining financial stability.

“Financial stability at RTÉ is welcome, but it has to be accompanied by structural reform,” he said.

“After the first year of this strategy, personnel costs have increased as a proportion of operating costs, average employee numbers have increased and just 67 people have left through the voluntary scheme.

“Before RTÉ comes back looking for another major funding package, taxpayers and licence fee holders are entitled to see much clearer evidence that the reforms promised alongside the existing deal are actually being delivered.”

RTÉ has previously said its transformation programme is being implemented over a number of years and is intended to place the organisation on a more sustainable financial footing while modernising its operations.