Fine Gael Senator Micheal Carrigy, who spoke at the hearing into RTÉ’s finances last week, compared the professional photography to mobile phone photos and said his assistant can take photos at no cost.

It emerged last week during an Oireachtas committee meeting that the photographer would earn a maximum of €60,000 per annum, or €240,000 over four years, to photograph stills on the set of Fair City.

Following the hearing RTÉ’s director general Kevin Bakhurst said the broadcaster was suspending the tender for a photographer, and “stopping all discretionary spending”.

Mr Bakhurst said he “can’t believe” the salary that was being offered for photography on the show.

“Given the steep fall in the licence fee and the uncertainty over interim funding, and following last week’s announcements, we have decided to halt the current tender process for Fair City photography,” said Mr Bakhurst.

During the hearing Senator Carrigy expressed his shock at the job salary and said, “I’ve asked my assistant to take a picture of me speaking here and I’ll show it to you in about two minutes’ time and it won’t cost anything to be able to do that”.

Beta Bajgart, who holds the Fair City stills photographer contract, penned an open letter to the Senator on Monday and said she was “disturbed” by his comments.

“I found your remark highly insulting and derogatory to all people who work within the creative industries,” said Ms Bajgart.

She said that the remark is potentially insulting to all her colleagues working on Fair City, stressing that a photographer’s work is “not just a matter of pressing a button on a smartphone”.

Ms Bajgart explained that her role is to take photographs of the scenes and actors for publicity purposes, with promotional press packs forming an important part of the show.

“Firstly, not that I should have to, but your ignorant comment of reducing a photographer’s work to such a level astounded me so much that perhaps I do need to explain,” said Ms Bajgart.

She added that the average time she spends on the set of Fair City is 30 hours per week, over three full days, in addition to time editing, postproduction enhancement, prepping packs as well as emails and meetings.

“The photographer on RTÉ’s Fair City is an independent contractor who does not receive any benefits that you and your colleague are more familiar with for example,” the open letter continues.

“There is no pension, no paid holidays and no sick leave,” she said, adding that the photographer must buy and update their own equipment and have their own transport.

“The utter disregard that the photography profession received in the press in the past week, compounded by your derogatory remarks, feeds into the damaging stereotype that art and creative professions don’t deserve the same respect and financial benefits as any other profession,” she said.

She asked Senator Carrigy if he enjoys a night at the cinema, a music gig, a theatre production or a visit to the galleries. “Perhaps none of these should exist, perhaps these are all superfluous, and something we can ‘capture on our smartphone’ free of charge,” Ms Bajgart said.

“I would like to invite you to rethink your outlook and make a public apology for the ill-considered remarks you have loaded on all creative practitioners in our country.

“A representative in your position should refrain from such insulting comments and make appropriate redress for them,” she concluded.

In a statement last week RTÉ said the tender was being suspended following an announcement of a recruitment freeze and stopping all discretionary spending.

The broadcaster said it will “pause and take time to review the volume of photography required and length of contract, among other considerations”.

A revised tender for photography on the Fair City set will be issued once these decisions have been made.

The photographer would have worked an average of 20 hours per week over the course of three days per week and delivered “a minimum of 16 approved photograph stills in both high and low resolution to Fair City each week, for 50 weeks per year, as specified by RTÉ”.

RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst said: “While quality professional photography is essential to enable us to promote our programmes and engage audiences, it is not possible for RTÉ to commit to a four-year contract or to this level of spend given the challenges we now face,” Mr Bakhurst said.

It is anticipated the shortfall in TV licence fee payments will stand at €21m by the end of the year.