Aidan Farrelly (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

It is truly mind-boggling that the Arts Council could spend nearly €7 million on an IT system and have nothing to show for it. What is worse is that the previous two Governments allowed the council to get away with it. At the outset in 2018, the full cost of the project was not included in the business case. This was a major breach of the public spending code. As the project spiralled out of control, with the budget ballooning from €2.87 million to nearly €7 million, the Department was kept fully informed but no one shouted, "Stop". A review of this fiasco has found that the Arts Council board did not have sufficient expertise to manage the project. Any gaps in expertise are the fault of the Minister who appoints people to the board. As recently as 29 October 2024, a month before the election, former Green Party Minister, Catherine Martin, was making appointments to the board. Why did she not mention anything about this then? Was it because all of her efforts were focused on burying this scandal until after the election?

The new Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, has ordered an external review of governance and culture at the Arts Council, which is a nice way to kick to touch for a while. What about governance and culture in the Government and the Department? When will we see an external review of them and an end to the appalling litany of wasted public money over which the Government has presided?

See this speech in context