Noel Kelly and Ryan Tubridy
RTÉ said it is processing a data access request from Ryan Tubridy and his agent Noel Kelly, which is believed to have cost the broadcaster more than €100,000 so far.
Both Mr Tubridy and Mr Kelly are seeking information surrounding internal communications relating to the 2023 payments scandal crisis.
The data access requests, permitted under data regulation law, allows individuals to see what information a public body has on file about them.
It is understood that the requests were made around a year and a half ago and there has been a delay in finalising, according to The Irish Times.
RTÉ said the request is delayed due to a “significant amount of work”.
The crisis emerged after it was discovered that secret payments totalling €345,000 to Ryan Tubridy between 2017 and March 2023 went unreported by RTÉ.
“RTÉ has received data access requests from both parties. These require a significant amount of work that we are currently processing,” a spokesperson for the broadcaster told the Irish Independent.
It is believed that the mater is being reviewed by the Data Protection Commissioner, who is brought in when there is a dispute over the release of files.
It was also reported that both sides are using legal firms as part of the process.
A spokesperson for RTÉ added: “Neither of the parties referred to have taken any legal action against RTÉ.”
Mr Tubridy was RTÉ’s highest earner before he left the station to take up a role as a mid-morning presenter on Virgin Radio UK.
The payments scandal led Mr Tubridy and his agent Mr Kelly to appear before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and the Oireachtas Media Committee.
Speaking then, Mr Tubridy said: “I am truly sorry for all of this and for any part, consciously or unconsciously, that I may have played.”
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