Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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56. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if the Arts Council enlisted the assistance of any unit, division, office or agency of Government regarding the development and procurement of the Arts Council’s IT project which cost €6.75 million without delivering a workable system. [10205/25]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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Following on from receipt of the 2023 Arts Council Annual Report, the Secretary General of the Department initiated a thorough examination into the failed ICT project last July. The Report on the Examination of the Arts Council Business Transformation Project was released last month and sets out the evolution of the project, including engagement with my Department and other agencies, as well as 36 recommendations to improve capital governance and strengthen ICT expertise. These recommendations have been accepted by the Department and the Arts Council.

In particular, chapter seven of the report is titled “Role of Department and Other Government Departments and Offices” and contains details of the engagement by the Arts Council with other State bodies in connection with the ICT project. This chapter examines the role of my Department and the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) in the Business Transformation Programme and the involvement of the Office of Government Procurement in procurement matters.

Robert O'Donoghue (Dublin Fingal West, Labour)
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57. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if there will be no freeze on the Arts Council’s operations during any review (details supplied). [10191/25]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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As outlined in the Programme for Government, this Government believes that culture and the arts are essential to a well-rounded society, providing opportunities for education, expression and community engagement. Ireland is world renowned for our rich, diverse and vibrant arts sector. As a reflection of that commitment, funding for the Arts Council has increased by 75% in recent years to €140 million in 2025. As the Deputy is aware, on the 12th of February, I brought to Government the Arts Council’s 2023 Annual Report and Financial Statements, as well as a report on an unsuccessful IT project at the Council. This project, which failed to deliver and cost €6.675m, has given rise to fundamental questions about governance within the Arts Council. Accordingly, at the meeting of Government last week, I presented the terms of reference for the Review of Governance and Organisational Culture in the Arts Council which will be conducted by an Expert Advisory Committee.

I will be appointing three experts with a strong background in the governance of large and complex organisations to the committee: Professor Niamh Brennan (Chair), Dr. Margaret Cullen and John McCarthy. The committee will ensure that the review process is robust, fair and transparent, and will lead to practical, actionable recommendations to improve the Arts Council’s governance arrangements.

I have been clear that the governance failures must be addressed quickly in order to safeguard public funding and to prevent a recurrence of issues that have arisen. This review is essential to address failings within the Arts Council and to put it on a sound footing for the future so that it can continue to perform its very valuable role in supporting and developing Irish arts and culture. The review is not intended to disrupt the operations of the Arts Council and there will be no freeze on the Arts Council's day-to-day work of supporting Irish artists during the review process.