Mr. Feargal Ó Coigligh:

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach agus le comhaltaí an choiste as an deis a thabhairt dom an ráiteas seo a dhéanamh inniu. Gabhaim buíochas freisin le hOifig an Ard-Reachtaire Cuntas agus Ciste as an mbealach proifisiúnta a ndearna a cuid oifigeach an obair a bhí riachtanach i ndáil leis an gcuntas seo.

The 2023 appropriation account includes the tourism and Gaeltacht sectors, which are now transferring from the Department. The year 2023 saw a return to greater economic and societal normality following the Covid-19 pandemic. While the account shows a continued wind-down of Covid-related supports, the Department continued to provide additional supports for energy costs arising in part from the war in Ukraine. Overall gross expenditure fell from €1.2 billion in 2022 to just over €1.1 billion in 2023. The combined effect of Covid and the inflationary environment between 2022 and 2024 had a significant impact on capital delivery during this period, in particular for larger projects.

Regarding tourism, 2023 expenditure of €205 million ensured that Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland continued to support one of Ireland’s key economic sectors, employing approximately 226,000 people in 2023.

This first full year of trading for the sector after Covid saw rapid reinstatement of air connectivity and the recovery of tourism numbers while also dealing with challenges due to loss of capacity in some areas arising from the response of the State in assisting Ukrainian refugees. Funding for arts and culture saw an outturn of €347 million, down somewhat from €367 million in 2022. Nonetheless, much of the increased funding provided during Covid has been maintained. This has enabled the Department to deliver the basic income for the arts pilot scheme, provide record funding for the Department's agencies in the arts, culture and film sectors and deliver an ambitious Creative Ireland programme.

Chaith an Roinn €85 milliún faoi Chlár C - An Ghaeltacht agus an Ghaeilge - in 2023, méadú mór ar an gcaiteachas de €78 milliún in 2022. Arís, thug an Roinn an-tacaíocht d’earnáil na gcoláistí samhraidh a bhí ag teacht chuici féin tar éis na paindéime, chomh maith le hinfheistíocht shuntasach d’Údarás na Gaeltachta, agus don phleanáil teanga, chun forbairt na Gaeltachta a chur chun cinn. Tugadh tacaíocht do phobal na Gaeilge agus na hUltaise ar fud an oileáin chomh maith tríd an bhForas Teanga, agus trí thacaíochtaí breise a thabhairt d’eagraíochtaí Gaeilge as siocair fadhbanna a bhain le maoiniú An Fhoras Teanga ar bhonn Thuaidh-Theas.

Ireland's support for the Olympic Games last year lifted the spirits of the nation. The personal efforts of all our athletes and sportspeople at every level and ability was supported by high levels of investment in capital and current spending. Some €184 million was spent in 2023 to support the sector, including through Sports Ireland and record investment in sports facilities throughout Ireland.

There are 19 bodies under the aegis of the Department, accounting for two thirds of departmental expenditure. The Arts Council and the National Gallery of Ireland are here today, arising out of issues identified in their financial statements for 2023 by the Comptroller and Auditor General. The Department's 2023 accounts reflect the impact of problems which arose in RTÉ in 2023, with TV licence fee receipts falling from €221 million in 2022 to €201 million in 2023. Programme E shows a supplementary provision of €16 million for RTÉ as a consequence. Programme E also shows €6 million in expenditure to support the work of Coimisiún na Meán in its first year of operation, a body which is now essential to regulating traditional and new forms of media, including social media.

I can assure the committee that the Department places the highest emphasis on fulfilling our oversight responsibilities in respect of our bodies. Arising out of issues at RTÉ, the Department last year engaged the Institute of Public Administration, IPA, to review our oversight arrangements. The Department accepted all 16 recommendations of the IPA's report and these are now being actioned. This includes the recent establishment of a specialised governance unit in the Department to embed one consistent high-quality approach to our oversight function.

The failure of the business transformation project at the Arts Council and the delay in deploying the X-ray machine at the National Gallery have raised further questions for the agencies and for the Department. It is clear from the report which I commissioned on the Arts Council project that the Department failed to properly exercise its oversight function and that we should have intervened more actively and much sooner to reduce the exposure to the taxpayer of this failed project. In response, the Minister has established an expert advisory committee, led by Professor Niamh Brennan, to review the governance and organisational culture in the Arts Council, while a parallel review of the Department’s internal governance operations is also under way with the assistance of the IPA, building on its earlier work.

Finally, the committee wished to discuss the recommendation of the Comptroller and Auditor General that the Department completes an evaluation of its performance information system to ensure that good performance measures are being used that enable it to best assess how well it is performing against its aims and objectives. In response, the Department’s strategic policy unit has now commenced an evaluation of current performance information procedures. This review is ongoing and the unit is currently developing a report using information gleaned from the work it has undertaken. I am happy to expand on any of these areas or to explore other areas, as the committee wishes.