Cabinet to discuss major changes to Arts Council

Plan to make significant changes to the Arts Council come in the wake of its failed €6.7m IT project

Tue, 20 Jan, 2026 - 01:00

Tadgh McNally, Political Reporter

There will be significant changes made to the Arts Council in the wake of its failed €6.7m IT project, ministers will hear on Tuesday.

Arts minister Patrick O’Donovan will update Government on the independent review into the Arts Council, with the report outlining 149 recommendations and including legislative proposals to improve the body.

The report by Niamh Brennan says there are several key factors which lead to the failed Arts Council IT project.

These include how the Arts Council’s business case understated the costs of the IT project, a lack of ICT and project management expertise, and an over-reliance on third-party suppliers.

It also found the scope of the project regularly changed, while systems of governance within the organisation failed.

It describes the risk culture within the Arts Council as being “immature”, while also raising concerns about limited board oversight.

The report adds departmental oversight was too informal, and issues with the IT project were not escalated to the appropriate levels.

It is expected that Mr O’Donovan will tell ministers there will be “significant change” at the Arts Council over the failed project, with engagement to take place between his department and its interim director.

Infrastructure bottlenecks

Separately, public expenditure minister Jack Chambers will update Cabinet on the Joint Utilities and Transport Clearing House infrastructure group, which aims to reduce bottlenecks and deal with issues slowing down project delivery.

Mr Chambers will tell ministers about the work of the clearing house, which focuses on utilities and transport projects. Agencies will be asked to present the key issues blocking project delivery, which are then escalated and resolved.

It is expected agencies will work proactively and in co-operation and “inter-agency disputes aren’t allowed to delay projects for weeks and months”, he said at the meeting before Christmas.

Agencies involved include the ESB, Eirgrid, the NTA, TII, Irish Water and the Land Development Agency.

It is expected the group will meet every six to eight weeks.

€1bn housing infrastructure fund

Meanwhile, housing minister James Browne is to tell ministers about the launch of the first funding call for a new €1bn fund for housing infrastructure.

The fund will be managed by the Housing Activation Office, and it is aimed at supporting the development of infrastructure to unlock houses on sites across the country.

Children’s Minister Norma Foley will update Cabinet on progress on the development of State-led childcare facilities.

Ms Foley will seek approval for a preliminary business case for such facilities, with it expected to cover around 800 places in 2026.