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Child Item

Arts Council wastes 7 mil

_BAA_RAM_EWE

Blah blah blah, here we go again, nothing new, nothing will be done. spent it on a non existent IT system, this bit is funny about the new minister

Minister for the Arts Patrick O'Donovan said he was "desperately angry" about the waste of public monies.

who has just come from

Bacik also criticised O’Donovan, who served as a Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform with responsibility for the Office of Public Works during the last Government.
Bacik claimed that O’Donovan had a “Midas touch” when it came to his departmental appointments, referencing OPW overspending on a security hut and Dáil bike shed last year.

One could do alot with 7 million.

Just imagine the billions spent like this in the HSE.

https://www.thejournal.ie/tds-slam-arts-council-overspend-6621924-Feb2025/

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2025/0213/1496562-arts-council/

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itsacoolday

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123169976#Comment_123169976

I do not want to identify the individuals concerned. They are decent enough people and it would be unfair on them. However the "art" they produce has little or no real artistic merit, and in the real world very few people give any money to support the "art" they produce. Yet they get paid annually by the arts Council. And the odd time they get their picture taken with the minister for the arts. Well, all those tens of millions have to go somewhere. Pity it goes to these arts Council subsidised individuals who sit around doing nothing for most of the day.

The country is crying out for builders and tradesmen, pity the government could not train some of them instead.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123169793#Comment_123169793

Staff didn't write the new system...

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123169660#Comment_123169660

And the new system is binned so now what...anyone for a bailout??!!

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123170160#Comment_123170160

The only unfairness here is your reliance on broad, generalised slurs of an entire sector without actually having the decency to be specific.

You're now shifting the goalposts to talk about 'artistic merit' when your original claim was about 'economic value'. Art isn't about economic value.

Idbatterim

I want to give my perspective on this, people funding all of this nonsense, many are broke themselves... its out of control, far too many pigs at the trough, blowing other people's money, to sate their own vanity and egos...

Augme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123170155#Comment_123170155

The chef got supported by getting money on the electrict or gas he for making his food. He got supported by earning more money from less VAT. Possibly got supported via a small business loan start up etc etc. The problem is, you seem to think that only small bbusinesses hould get supports and no one else.

jmcc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123170223#Comment_123170223

That would be "option B" at approximately 1.5 million Euro. The politicians are reluctant to authorise the expenditure for some reason.

Regards…jmcc

Larbre34

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123170146#Comment_123170146

RTÉ has already seen a complete governance overhaul, slashed budgets and the departure of several people in the line of responsibility who are now basically unemployable.

And there is a Garda economic crime investigation ongoing too. So its not over by a damn sight.

And you can be certain that because this recent scandal also falls under the ambit of the Dept of Arts and Culture that the new Minister won't want any of this to be hanging around too long in his tenure.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123169982#Comment_123169982

The point made was they should cut finding for anything the commentator doesn't do. I'm guessing people don't do all the sports that get funding.

Someone doesn't get the value of the arts doesn't make that opinion through ignorance valid. There are many people who don't see the value in sport. That an equally valid according to your premise.

We are surrounded by art and arts. Being blind to it doesn't make it not exist or not have value.

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123170267#Comment_123170267

Garda investigation 😂

It took them 28 years to pretend investigate Lowry and the Moriarty tribunal showed clear and obvious corruption! He is now in government.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123170102#Comment_123170102

They built a system. That's not nothing. But what they built wasn't fit for purpose after two rounds of UAT testing. according to my reading of the report. It's wasn't built by the Art Council, but by private sector contractors.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123170006#Comment_123170006

Maybe they should combine all govt depts into one giant dept. Because it's all the guvermunt.

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123170321#Comment_123170321

Of course it was built by outside consultants. One of the big 4 were involved for sure. That's how the game works. They don't care it never went live. Grant Thornton were brought it to assess the projected cost to completion (if saveable).

[Deleted User]

Not one bit surprised by this. My husband worked in the public sector as a contractor for six months last year. It was an absolute disaster of a place to work in. The consultancy firms were making an absolute fortune. They ran the show and had middle and senior management wrapped around their little fingers.

_BAA_RAM_EWE

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123169938#Comment_123169938

the vat reduction profits business owners. no one else. some businesses closing is normal. they leave out the ones opening to replace them out of the conversation.

Apprentice people are getting 5e an hour.

NFL is another waste.

property development is a sh1t show.

tabby aspreme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123170267#Comment_123170267

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/rte-bailout-households-to-stump-up-725m-over-three-years-for-broadcaster/a221598653.html.

What was RTE's previous budget

jmcc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123170321#Comment_123170321

The media coverage has some more details on this including some problems with the code and people in the contracting company being replaced. The report is full of management-speak.

Regards…jmcc

StormForce13

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123168503#Comment_123168503

Presumably it was also known by the Opposition spokespersons on Arts, Culture, etc. but as far as I can see, not one of them bothered to ask a single question in the Dáil about it since that Phoenix article was published. (I'm still searching.)

jmcc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123170267#Comment_123170267

As I said, I admire your confidence, but this is Ireland. Being completely cynical about it, one reason that this is getting coverage is because it makes a bunch of politicians look bad. The wasted money is secondary. The media has tried to get comments from Catherine Martin, previous minister and she has gone to ground. The current minister, Patrick O'Donovan, is desperately angry.Simon Harris (of NCH infamy) is also upset

Regards…jmcc

Ash.J.Williams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123170321#Comment_123170321

And who's fault is that

bucketybuck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123169959#Comment_123169959

Its shite like this, bikesheds and 3 billion euro hospitals that directly lead to people turning to jokeshop solutions like DOGE.

The people of Ireland will get what they created, all these leeches did not come from nowhere.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123170428#Comment_123170428

It's quite common for IT projects to fail. There's a high failure rate.

You'd have to know about IT to understand it. There's a few not uncommon situations in the report. I'd suggest part of it, the lack of penalties for missing deadlines and the usual scope creep. People out of their depth. Also the lack of incentives to deliver which is common with public/private projects.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058396290/arts-council-wastes-7-mil

Catherine Martin was in charge here so while I have little time for O'Donovan, she presided over both the Arts Council and RTÉ, that's not to mention how many other different state organisations were under her control, Failte Ireland, Sports Ireland, TG4, Screen Ireland… all nice organisations but what issues exist within them… the Minister for Opening Ceremonies and Ribbon Cutting.

Unfortunately he is also in charge of Communciations infrastructure also!

Montage of Feck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123170327#Comment_123170327

The Dept of Guberment and Silly Walks!

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123170390#Comment_123170390

Maybe they were busy focusing on the Children's Hospital, RTE, Bike shed, Security Hut, Housing lies, Mobile phone pouches etc.

Strange defence to blame the opposition.

_BAA_RAM_EWE

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123170482#Comment_123170482

what was requested seems quite easy to deliver.

like really easy

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123170482#Comment_123170482

Nonsense. There are many degrees of failure. They might fail in scope, cost, timeline or capabiliy but you usually get something live for a 7,000,000 spend.

It cannot have been a complex ask for the Arts Council.

And all projects have financial stage gates. It should have been scrapped long before if it wasn't going to be fit for purpose.

Ash.J.Williams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123170482#Comment_123170482

I do understand IT, 7M wastage is not common

Papagei

And likely nobody will be sacked.

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123170543#Comment_123170543

Patrick was the minister in charge of OPW...