The Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, has had a string of bad luck with ministerial issues. It is a sort of reverse Midas touch. In his previous role, he had to deal with bike shelter and security hut overspends by the OPW. Now, weeks into his new job, we find out about this extraordinary and alarming spend of nearly €7 million on a failed IT project at the Arts Council. This enormous waste of public money raises serious questions about governance and oversight of that body. It raises serious questions about what oversight, if any, the Departments of arts and public expenditure had over such a major IT project that involved a significant spend but that resulted in nothing. It also raises questions about a cover-up by the previous Government, many of the members of which are serving in the new Cabinet. This unfortunate debacle must not be used to undermine support for the arts or artists. Ireland's contribution to the arts is a source of immense pride. Our paintings, writings, music, film, theatre and comedy are an envy of the world and many artists are not sufficiently rewarded for their work. We in Labour have always championed the arts. President Michael D. Higgins was an inspirational Labour Minister for the arts. We are conscious that many of those who are funded by the Arts Council will be worried today that their vital supports might be undermined as a result of this controversy. The Tánaiste and the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, must reassure artists that their funding will be protected and that we will see full disclosure and accountability for this overspend. Oireachtas committees are yet to be formed. As a result, we need to have a debate on this in the Dáil next week because it appears that the entire management of this project was shambolic. I would question many aspects of governance and management of the project at the Arts Council and in the Department too. We all have very serious questions in respect of this issue. Here are some specific questions. First, why has the arts department been so dogged by controversies about overspends and lack of oversight over semi-State bodies? Second, why was there no relevant expertise, it appears, on the Arts Council senior management team, leading to such undue reliance on private contractors to deliver this massive and complex project? Third, were red flags raised by those with knowledge of the project and were their concerns ignored or dismissed? I understand that two reviews of this project, which raised concerns about levels of risk, took place in the summer of 2022 and at the end of 2023. Can the Tánaiste explain why, particularly at that earlier juncture in 2022, a decision was apparently made to proceed with the project notwithstanding serious concerns? Can he make a commitment that the review the Minister has ordered into the Arts Council, which we welcome, will include a root-and-branch review of governance and management systems? I reiterate my call for a Dáil debate on this massive waste, which has caused such anger among the public.

Sentiment score: -0.04

I thank the Tánaiste for his response. I am glad he has acknowledged there are clearly questions for the Department as well as the Arts Council. I listened to the Minister expressing his anger and disappointment on the radio this morning, but we need more than just expressions of anger and disappointment from the line Minister. We need greater clarity on when he became aware of this. I am conscious he is only recently in the job. As I stated, however, this Government contains many Ministers who were also Ministers in the previous Government. There is also a question of the levels of knowledge of the previous Government about this and about the timelines involved. We need clarity on the timelines for the review that has been commissioned and we need greater clarity on the timeline of events which led to this overspend. I reviewed the 2023 annual report of the Arts Council which is now online. The report of the chair, drafted in June 2024, makes no mention of any of this. Artists and all of us must have confidence in the Arts Council, in its senior management and in the Department of the arts, because, as the Tánaiste said, there is so much public money at stake here. It is important that our artists are properly supported. In restoring that confidence, it is important that we have a root-and-branch review of the Arts Council processes and internal culture, of the level of the Department's oversight and of public procurement rules.

Sentiment score: 0.24

I reiterate my call for a Dáil debate on this.

Sentiment score: 0.00