Evanne Ní Chuilinn (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I think the Minister should know if we have bottomed out because he is the Minister. At this point, the Arts Council is under pressure and in a time of crisis. It should have provided full disclosure and the Minster should have every piece of information in front of him that he needs. Just for the sake of the record, I think the Minister should know and should be informed as to whether we are at the bottom of the road.

Last night, we heard at this committee there were 60 communications. We knew that already, but a lot of it was to say that everything was fine and on track. All the emails that Feargal Ó Coigligh was getting were saying everything was still on track for 2024 and still on budget. Two weeks ago, the figure of €60,000 was mentioned. We questioned him a lot around that figure, and then we saw yesterday that it was €119,000. There is a perception that things are nice and cosy and the Arts Council can send the Department an email and it will take it as read. This cannot be the reality, so how can the Minister make sure this is not the reality?