Laura Harmon (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I want to state my deep concern about over spending and wastage of public funds. We have seen printers that do not fit into rooms, great walls, spenny security huts and astronomical bike sheds. The phase "an embarrassment of riches" comes to mind with the emphasis on "embarrassment". When will this parody of public spending end? You could not make it up.

Today, I want to zone in on funding of the arts in particular. I share the concerns of Praxis: The Artists Union of Ireland about the over spending on the failed IT system, the estimated cost of which was €6.7 million with a loss of €5.3 million. This needs to be investigated. We need to ensure this does not affect spending in the arts and investing in our great artists and new talent in the arts across Ireland. I was contacted by a visual artist, Billy Lingwood, from Cork city recently. He pointed out that €7 million could fund 1,400 agility awards for individual artists across the country, or it could fund between 350 to 1,400 bursary awards. There are larger awards of between €5,000 and €20,000 to fund more high-calibre project realisations. It really is a kick in the teeth to artists applying for funding for projects but who are being rejected or told there is not enough money there to see this wastage in the arts sector and in public spending in general. That is without mentioning the need for artists to have a basic income in this country. I call on the Minister, Deputy O’Donovan, to address the issue and discuss how artists will be better supported in Ireland.