Cinema ‘the most appalling waste of public funds’ says PAC

A Government department has been accused of “the most appalling waste of public funds” after it was criticised for ploughing more than €8m into an arts cinema paying rent of just €1 a year for the next 25 years.

Members of the Dáil’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) made the claim against the Department of Culture, Heritage and Gaeltacht during a detailed discussion over Galway arts cinema, the Pálás.

Speaking during the latest meeting of the PAC, the department secretary general, Katherine Licken, said the arts cinema has been vital to widening the type of films shown in Galway and giving creative space for those in the sector.