Ms Maura McGrath:

I am proud to be chair of the Arts Council. We are here today to provide full transparent information, be accountable for our actions and engage constructively with the committee. I regret the loss of funds on the business transformation programme. This project was not an optional extra; it began out of absolute necessity, and it remains a necessity to be addressed. The reason I was so proud to be asked to be chair of the Arts Council was to support artists and arts organisations and the extraordinary work they make, often for very little reward. What the board wants, working with our executive team and with the Minister and his officials, is to ensure that we have an Arts Council that is expert, functional, efficient and alive with the sense of mission given to us by the Houses of the Oireachtas

As committee members will be aware, a full examination report was published by our line Department. I stress that we accept the findings of this report and are in the process of implementing many of its recommendations as they relate to us. Members are also aware that an external review is under way under the leadership of Professor Niamh Brennan. I look forward to taking these items, recommendations and reforms on board and implementing anything further that is required.

I wish to make two comments now on reflection. I believe that the expectation of small State bodies with a particular expertise, which are expected to carry the burden of a growing capability and competency requirement such as ICT, is in need of questioning. In addition, I would like members to take the years of 2021 and 2022 in the context of the Covid pandemic. The Arts Council was implementing Government policy at that stage, with a significant increase in funding to sustain artists. In addition, there was a challenge of maintaining the organisation's online working and there were competing priorities with regard to the IT project.

Before I hand over to my colleague, Maureen Kennelly, director, I wish to say that this is a setback. It has cost time and money and worried artists, who are often on the financial edge. However, the Arts Council has a single focus to deliver for the arts, and that is our commitment here today.