Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As the Minister is well aware, bullying and harassment allegations have been made against the former director of the Gate Theatre and have been widely discussed in print and broadcast media. Her Government colleagues have been at pains to emphasise that the Gate Theatre is not a State body but she and I both know it received significant funding from her Department to the tune of €860,000 in public money in 2017. Therefore, we certainly have a responsibility and a role to play in the context of this issue, given that the theatre has received that level of public funds. For example, the former director was the director of the theatre for 33 years, for more than three decades, and he was also a member of the board. Many of the board members served on the board for a long number of years alongside the director over the course of his more than three decades on the board. Many of the board members would have had a prior personal association with the former director. Does the Minister consider it is acceptable that a body in receipt of State funding would have in place such inappropriate governance structures? Will she outline her plans to review the governance structures of bodies in receipt of funding from her Department? Has she any future plans regarding the funding of agencies or organisations, such as this one, that do not have in place proper governance structures?

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