Review into Ireland’s Arts Council ordered over failed IT project

The Irish government has ordered an external review of the Arts Council of Ireland’s operations after it was revealed that over €6.6m (£5.5m) was spent on an abandoned IT project.

Newly-appointed Minister for Arts and Culture, Patrick O’Donovan, said an initial report initiated by his government department found that the Arts Council did not assign adequate resources to deliver the project.

The project, in development since 2019, aimed to develop new IT systems. It was paused by the Arts Council in late 2023 and discontinued in June 2024.

It has been reported that the Arts Council permitted an additional budget for the project without approval from the ministry, as required under Ireland’s Public Spending Code. It has also been claimed that the council extended contracts with external suppliers, exceeding the allowed limits for cost increases in several cases.

The council said €1.2m of the money was spent on work that can be “reused”. It released a statement saying it acknowledges “the significant expenditure on this project and the associated write-off of this expenditure of €5.3m” adding “we greatly regret that this ambitious and complex project was not completed”.

“We take our role as custodian of public money very seriously and, for that reason, we are engaging with our contractors with a view to seeking legal redress,” the Arts Council added.

Arts Minister O’Donovan told local press that the external review will begin shortly and will examine all activities and expenditures under the Arts Council’s remit.

Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris called the overspend “absolutely alarming” and has accused the Arts Council of ignoring the Public Spending Code and its approval processes.

“People can make mistakes in terms of the delivery of projects, and that’s one thing, but it’s very different when you actually just ignore the Public Spending Code and the various approval processes,” Harris said.

“There are very serious questions now for the Arts Council to answer on this.”