Via The Journal Of Music: The Government has published the terms of reference for the external review of the Arts Council.
The review follows the Council's IT project that cost €6.675m over several years but which failed to deliver a workable grant application system.
Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Patrick O’Donovan, said that the project had 'given rise to fundamental questions about governance within the Arts Council.’ He added: ‘I have been clear that these governance failures must be addressed quickly in order to safeguard public funding and to prevent a recurrence of this kind.’
The Minister has also published the terms of reference for a review of his own department’s internal governance due to the fact that the cost of the IT project was allowed escalate without proper intervention.
Governance and accountability
The external review of the Arts Council has five sections and will focus on matters such as corporate governance, procurement, contracts with third parties and project management. It will also look at the role and composition of the Board of the Arts Council; the accountability of the Director to the Board; external and internal auditing; the accountability of the Board and its Chair to the Minister, and more.
The review will also explore the ‘appropriateness of the legislation and regulations applying to the Arts Council’ and the organisation’s relationship with the Department.
The Minister has appointed Professor Niamh Brennan, Emeritus Full Professor at University College Dublin; John McCarthy, former Secretary General at the Department of Housing and Local Government; and Dr Margaret Cullen, corporate governance lecturer and governance advisor, to carry out the review and make recommendations.
A timeline has yet to be announced for the review. The Minister says that the arrangements will be finalised shortly.
Commenting on the review, Minister O’Donovan said: "Funding for the Arts Council has increased by 75% in recent years to €140m in 2025. This is a very significant investment by Government on behalf of the taxpayer in supporting artists and developing the arts in Ireland. I wish to restore trust and confidence in the Arts Council."
He added: "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."
To view the full terms of reference, see here.
Read more from the Journal Of Music here.
