Internal records show a senior manager raised the alarm in February that the agency could not give an “assurance of confidentiality” based on how bursary applicant forms are stored internally and shared with assessors. The agency says that the GDPR concern was “successfully resolved”.
The recent revelations that the Arts Council and RTÉ both wrote down millions on large IT projects suggests that the lessons of the past with other failed State-led technology projects have still not been learnt.
The agency had to return the funding after its parent department refused a request to repurpose the remaining funds and support the arts community to cover increased costs during the inflationary crisis.
Kennelly will leave her position once Oireachtas committee scrutiny of the State agency's failed IT project concludes, the Arts Council board said in a statement this morning.
Director Maureen Kennelly’s oversight of the agency's failed IT project will likely be raised at the committee on Thursday. Senior department officials should also be quizzed about what they knew and when.
Chair John Brady has said examining the council’s €6.5m abandoned IT system is a priority for the powerful committee. The National Gallery of Ireland director will also appear over its unused X-ray scanner.
Under the critical review process, departments must examine if robust governance arrangements are in place at agencies. Could earlier action have nipped problems with the Arts Council IT project in the bud?
Unredacted board minutes released under freedom of information show details of delays, budget overruns, board unease, and a dispute with contractors were all blacked out in public versions released since 2021.
Documents released under FOI show former minister Catherine Martin was well briefed by July 2024, while the senior manager over arts was in the loop by March 2023. Why the "failure" in escalating the issue sooner?
The former Joyce museum, now owned by GAA manager and private emergency accommodation provider Séamus McEnaney, is currently occupied by a group with anti-immigration sentiments.
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