Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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109. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the reason he has, in response to successive parliamentary questions, refused to identify the most senior official in his Department who was aware of the problems relating to the Arts Council IT project and who failed to inform the Minister; the reason he has refused to publish correspondence between the Arts Council and his Department in relation to the IT project, which cost the taxpayer €7 million, and if he will do so now; and when he expects the reviews into governance and culture both at the Arts Council and at the Department to be completed. [22805/25]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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As I stated to the Deputy previously would like to assure the Deputy of my firm commitment to ensuring that all aspects relating to the Arts Council IT project are fully explored, all findings shared with Oireachtas colleagues and that all recommendations which emerge are fully implemented.

The Arts Council Business Transformation Project has cost €6.75m and resulted in a significant loss to the Exchequer. This loss has highlighted governance issues in the Arts Council and significant lapses in oversight by the Department, who were informed from early 2021 of challenges in progressing the Business Transformation project and who received periodic updates at further stages of the project. I want to assure the Deputy that I am not at all satisfied with the decisions of officials not to inform the then Minister or Secretary General and am determined to ensure that the issues highlighted are urgently addressed.

It is clear from the report commissioned by my Department into the project, that while there were flows of information to the Department, no progress report issued to the then Minister or Secretary General in respect of this project prior to the Summer of 2024, either directly from the Arts Council or from within the Department. This report details the evolution of the project, the decision making process, and the flows of information between the Arts Council and the Department.

Accountability is fundamental to public confidence in our public service and it is critical that this confidence is maintained. On 25th February, I presented the terms of reference for the external review of the governance and organisational culture in the Arts Council to Government. This review is underway and is being conducted by an Expert Advisory Committee chaired by Professor Niamh Brennan with Dr. Margaret Cullen and Mr John McCarthy. I will bring the report on the review and its recommendations to Government and lay before the Houses of the Oireachtas when completed.

The My Department has also agreed a work programme with the IPA which will operate in parallel with the Arts Council review, and take account of its related findings, to ensure my Department has a robust system of governance and oversight internally and in relation to the bodies under its aegis.

My Department has released relevant information in regard to this IT project in response to FOI requests and this is being made available on my Departments website at present.