RTÉ Broadcaster Claire Byrne has clarified that her absence from her radio programme last Thursday and Friday had been booked months ago as one of her children was participating in a dance competition in Kerry and the entire family decided to accompany them.
Speaking this morning on her show, Ms Byrne said the most recent figure published regarding her salary is correct, and took a reduction when her show Claire Byrne live ended.
In the statement, she also said she never negotiated and sort of commeciall or side deal.
“So the fact that I wasn't sitting here when the news broke was a complete coincidence. I saw, and I heard that news coming in just as everyone else did. I had no prior warning, no inkling that there was a problem on the horizon.
"I wasn't even aware that presenter fees, including my own, were subjected to a Grant Thornton review. I knew absolutely nothing about it.
"And just like everyone else I've been grappling over the last few days with what has happened and the implications of it for all of us here in RTE and for you who rely on us and expect us to be completely transparent.
"I listened to Liveline on Friday and I listened to the callers who spoke to Joe, and I heard them talking about being disappointed about trust being broken and the importance of transparency. And for me, and for all the great people that I work with here every day on this show, hearing that is nothing short of heartbreaking, because I can tell you that as programme makers, our aim is always to be consistent, to be fair, to be professional and to respect the hard-earned trust that you, the audience has placed in us.
"So with all of that said, there are a couple of things that I want to make clear here this morning. Firstly, the fee that has been published for me most recently is correct, as are those published in the past. I have never sought, been offered or discussed any kind of commercial or side deal.
"No other payment exists or has ever existed beyond my published fee. Secondly, my most recent published fee was €350,000, and that was the fee agreed by authority for me to present both this radio programme and Clare Byrne live.
"And as you may know, I decided not to continue with that television show for personal and for family reasons.And so in order to be fully transparent with you here today, I want you to know that my RTE fee now is €280,000, and that fee was agreed for presenting this programme. And that last contract was negotiated by Noel Kelly.
"I recently presented the television quiz show Ireland's Smartest, and for that I was paid a separate fee of €25,000. That contract was negotiated by other members of the NK management company, and I acknowledge that fee is significant, and it's way beyond what many people could hope to earn.
"There are others who will no doubt have more to say about it, I'm sure. But my personal decision here this morning is to be open and honest with you. Having said that, my decision to do this is not meant to set a precedent for others or to force anyone else to release their information. That's a matter entirely for themselves.
"I felt that for me it was the right thing to do this morning. With that fee that I earn comes a duty for me to treat this position with respect. And I hope you can trust me and the team of journalists that I work with to cover this story about authority with the same rigor and balance as we would any other story on this programme."
