With RTÉ now facing a deficit of €61m in lost TV licence fees, a stern approach is required to ensure those at the helm in Montrose know that the State will not simply continue to plug the gap.

Instead, Ms Martin has decided on a more hands-off approach, issuing half-hearted threats of withholding funding that lack any real conviction.

Apart from compulsory redundancies and the total privatisation of the organisation, which are non-runners for her, Mr Martin does not seem to care about how RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst comes up with €21m in cost-saving measures between now and next year.

Four months on from when details of payments to Ryan Tubridy first emerged, the storm that has engulfed the State broadcaster shows no sign of abating and instead intensified yet again just a few hours before Ms Martin was due to speak to the media.

News of the resignation of chief financial officer Richard Collins — who faced lengthy grillings when he appeared before Oireachtas committees in recent months — broke just in time for journalists.

Ms Martin could have unveiled the world's best budget for the arts, culture, tourism, and sports at her post-budget briefing on Wednesday afternoon, but timing is everything and, instead, RTÉ set the agenda.

During an hour of questioning, Ms Martin detailed the projected losses next year as record numbers of households continue to avoid paying the TV licence.

She also revealed that she had been notified of Mr Collins' impending departure a number of days ago, but she did not know why the key figure was leaving.

Left in the dark

Of course, this is not the first time that Ms Martin has been left in the dark over the evolving and now multi-pronged controversy at RTÉ.

In June, it was revealed that RTÉ Board chairwoman Siún Ní Raghallaigh had not informed the minister that she had asked now-former director general Dee Forbes to resign. Ms Ní Raghallaigh later apologised for not keeping Ms Martin up to date.

In the case of Mr Collins, Ms Martin explained that she did not have the details of why he left or what sort of exit package he would receive because she did not seek them.

"Neither I nor my department have any role in relation to individual employment matters other than the appointment of director general, so I don't have any details in relation to any arrangements to his resignation. It's really an operational matter for RTÉ," said Ms Martin.

It is true that every minister must tread the fine line between ensuring there is proper oversight of the various bodies and entities that fall within their portfolio and entering the sphere of micromanagement.

As another minister on Wednesday night said: "If you get caught up in one internal issue, you would then be expected to deal with every other small problem."

Ms Martin confirmed that RTÉ will be expected to find €21m of the €61m in anticipated losses this year and next. The shape of those cuts or savings will be left up to the director general.

When it comes to the remaining €40m, the minister will be holding back the funds until she sees the "strategic vision" report now being compiled by Mr Bakhurst, she said.

"We want to see further cost-saving measures, but also cost efficiencies; where we've seen examples of waste, we want to see that they're able to stop the waste."

However, in a case of 'show me the report and I'll show you the money', she quickly moved to stress that RTÉ needs this funding to stay afloat.

Asked if she anticipates a situation where she may not provide the full €40m bailout, Ms Martin said: "That's when myself and Minister [Paschal] Donohoe will sit down and interrogate it but, as we said, we don't want to see compulsory redundancies."

'Strategic vision'

Denying that the request for the report is simply a box-ticking exercise, she said: "I think it's not too much to ask that RTÉ presents their strategic vision and shows how they're going to restore the trust in the national public service broadcaster before that additional money would be given."

RTÉ is now facing a crisis on a scale that could threaten its very existence in the future.

However, the Green minister has made it clear that she is not going to get caught up in the weeds.