Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Ms Pratschke and I wish her every success. I hope she is appointed as chair of the Arts Council, a very significant body. Her reputation and experience speak for themselves.

First, I have a question about a matter that is currently receiving considerable media coverage. I accept that this issue did not occur under Ms Pratschke's watch, but it raises some potential governance issues in the Arts Council and I would appreciate her opinion on it. It relates to the awarding of a grant to an individual in respect of a project in County Louth. Ms Pratschke might be familiar with this and have seen the coverage in recent days. It is the grant award to the Sliabh Gullion traditional music project. I will not go into the details because it is clear from the media reports that it is the subject of an internal review in the Arts Council. However, given Ms Pratschke's experience as an experienced arts administrator, from the point of view of governance is she concerned about an issue such as this arising and would she, in the event that she is appointed chairman of the Arts Council, furnish this committee with a copy of that internal review so we can consider it? Would she know at this stage, given that she has not yet been appointed, if the terms of reference of that review stretch to the possibility of the Arts Council improving its governance and oversight in respect of how decisions are made in the awarding of grants? That is the first question.

If Ms Pratschke is appointed, will she give a commitment that no member of the council would gain financially from any funding decision of the council, either directly or indirectly? To clarify, I am also referring to instances that might occur where an individual might not in fact make the decision themselves but might delegate that decision to a sub-group or a group panel of the Arts Council. As far as I am concerned, a decision of the Arts Council is a decision of that body regardless of whether it is made by an individual senior staff member, a panel or otherwise. I would appreciate a straightforward "Yes" or "No" answer if that is possible.