Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 6 March 2025
57. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if there will be no freeze on the Arts Council’s operations during any review (details supplied). [10191/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs outlined in the Programme for Government, this Government believes that culture and the arts are essential to a well-rounded society, providing opportunities for education, expression and community engagement. Ireland is world renowned for our rich, diverse and vibrant arts sector. As a reflection of that commitment, funding for the Arts Council has increased by 75% in recent years to €140 million in 2025. As the Deputy is aware, on the 12th of February, I brought to Government the Arts Council’s 2023 Annual Report and Financial Statements, as well as a report on an unsuccessful IT project at the Council. This project, which failed to deliver and cost €6.675m, has given rise to fundamental questions about governance within the Arts Council. Accordingly, at the meeting of Government last week, I presented the terms of reference for the Review of Governance and Organisational Culture in the Arts Council which will be conducted by an Expert Advisory Committee.
I will be appointing three experts with a strong background in the governance of large and complex organisations to the committee: Professor Niamh Brennan (Chair), Dr. Margaret Cullen and John McCarthy. The committee will ensure that the review process is robust, fair and transparent, and will lead to practical, actionable recommendations to improve the Arts Council’s governance arrangements.
I have been clear that the governance failures must be addressed quickly in order to safeguard public funding and to prevent a recurrence of issues that have arisen. This review is essential to address failings within the Arts Council and to put it on a sound footing for the future so that it can continue to perform its very valuable role in supporting and developing Irish arts and culture. The review is not intended to disrupt the operations of the Arts Council and there will be no freeze on the Arts Council's day-to-day work of supporting Irish artists during the review process.
