RTE, and of Ryan Tubridy

As members of RTÉ’s executive board and others appear before a special committee of the Government in Leinster House – though not former Director General Dee Forbes (central to the inquiry) who has resigned and cites ‘health issues’ for not going before the committee – one thing is obvious: is inquiry into what has, cliches aside, become a national scandal over alleged ‘secret payments’ to RTE broadcaster Ryan Tubridy – and, overall, public outcries over the huge sums, in e ect taxpayers’ money, paid to a select few top broadcasters at the State-run RTE is not going away anytime soon.

And, indeed, the broadcasting future of Ryan Tubridy hangs in the balance. ere is also disagreement between Mr Tubridy and RTE over the current status of his contract with the station.

Our photo shows Seamus Dooley, Irish Secretary of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), arriving at RTE HQ at Montrose, Dublin for talks with journalists at the national broadcaster.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, which was signed into law in April.

Mr O’Gorman will take responsibility for them under his role as Equality Minister.

e right to ve days’ unpaid leave for medical care purposes, for parents and carers, and an extension of breastfeeding breaks from six months to two years will take e ect from next week.

e new care leave comes in addition to existing statutory entitlements to carer’s leave and ‘force majeure’ leave.

Mr O’Gorman also hopes to commence other provisions of the Act, including the right to request exible working from an employer and the right to request remote working. But this will be “later this year”, according to sources. e provisions do not provide for any absolute right to such concessions from an employer, being instead merely an entitlement to ask for them.

Mr O’Gorman’s department is set to launch research into future policies for employers on supports for female employees experiencing menstrual and menopause symptoms.

It is expected that the research will get under way later this year, with a view to draft policies being developed in early 2024 that could lead to further time o provisions on medical grounds.

Meanwhile, your ‘must-have every week ‘ Kilkenny Observer has put the ‘bad news’ on Page 6... and Page 26

Deadline for student grants

e priority closing date for new college grant applications is ursday next, July 6, and any school leaver who either sat their Leaving Certi cate this year or deferred a college place is urged to make their application now, local Fine Gael TD John Paul Phelan has urged.

“I would encourage students to log on to the SUSI website now and make the priority closing date for new applications which is July 6. If you submit your application on or before this date, you will receive priority assessment.”

South East talk looks to future