Minister announces governance and organisational review of the Arts Council

Kenneth Fox

The Minister for Arts and Culture Patrick O’Donovan has announced an external review of the governance and organisational culture in the Arts Council.

In a statement released on Tuesday he said: "Two weeks ago, 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 €6.675 million, has given rise to fundamental questions about governance within the Arts Council. I have been clear that these governance failures must be addressed quickly to safeguard public funding and to prevent a recurrence of issues of this kind.

"At the meeting of the Government on Tuesday, I presented the terms of reference for the external review which will be conducted by an Expert Advisory Committee.

Mr O'Donovan said he will appoint 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.

Funding for the Arts Council has increased by 75 per cent in recent years to €140 million in 2025.

Mr O'Donovan called it "a very significant investment by Government on behalf of the taxpayer" in supporting artists and developing the arts in Ireland and said he wished to restore trust and confidence in the Arts Council.

"The public must be satisfied that the Arts Council’s corporate governance framework is fit for purpose and supports the delivery of its statutory responsibilities. Assurance is also required that the organisational culture of the Arts Council, at all levels, is open and transparent and that it engages appropriately with sectoral stakeholders.

"I also presented to the Government the draft terms of reference for a review of my Department’s internal governance operations focusing on governance, risk and escalation processes.

"This review will assess the learnings for the Department from the Arts Council project, the adequacy of its risk management procedures and the escalation measures to alert the Management Board of the Department to relevant issues," he said.