I am today announcing the details of an external review of the governance and organisational culture in the Arts Council. Two weeks ago, 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. I have been clear that these governance failures must be addressed quickly in order to safeguard public funding and to prevent a recurrence of issues of this kind.
At the meeting of Government today, I presented the terms of reference for the external review 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 will keep Government informed of the review’s findings as it progresses.
Funding for the Arts Council has increased by 75% in recent years to €140m in 2025. This is a very significant investment by Government on behalf of the taxpayer in supporting artists and developing the arts in Ireland. I wish to restore trust and confidence in the Arts Council. The public must be satisfied that the Arts Council’s corporate governance framework is fit for purpose and supports the delivery of its statutory responsibilities. Assurance is also required that the organisational culture of the Arts Council, at all levels, is open and transparent and that it engages appropriately with sectoral stakeholders.
Further to this, I also presented to Government the draft terms of reference for a review of my Department’s internal governance operations focusing on governance, risk and escalation processes. This review will assess the learnings for the Department from the Arts Council project, the adequacy of its risk management procedures and the escalation measures to alert Management Board of the Department to relevant issues.
The review will ensure that the Department has a comprehensive and effective oversight and governance framework for all bodies under its aegis to ensure full compliance with all public policy directives. My Department has also written to the bodies under its aegis to seek details of capital projects being implemented with a cost of at least €500,000 or other projects where there has been significant expenditure which were abandoned or have materially failed to deliver, in order to provide assurance around financial management and value for money principles.
