Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 2 July 2025
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport
Update on Departmental Priorities and Legislation: Department of Culture, Communications and Sport
2:00 am
Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
I did take advice but, ultimately, the Ministers and Secretaries Act and the Constitution of Ireland make it very clear, as the Chairman will note, what the role of a Cabinet Minister is. You cannot have a CEO of a State agency out of contract, so I had a decision to make. While I do not have the Niamh Brennan report concluded, I do have an internal report concluded with regard to what the Secretary General carried out before I became Minister, which was presented to me when I became Minister. Not to lose sight of the severity of the issue - the Deputy is right that it is unprecedented – it is unprecedented that almost €7 million has been expended on something that we have nothing to show for.
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