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Watch live updates: Arts Council before Public Accounts Committee on botched €6.7m IT project

Watch live updates: Arts Council before Public Accounts Committee on botched €6.7m IT project

Irish Times29-05-2025

Órla Ryan -
1 minute ago
The
Public Accounts Committee
will on Thursday examine recent spending controversies, in particular the €6.7 million spent by the
Arts Council
on a new IT system that was eventually abandoned.
The controversial project sparked a full review into the operations of the council, after Minister for Arts and Culture
Patrick O'Donovan
said an initial report found it was not prepared for the scale of the IT project.
We'll keep you updated with the hearing as it happens.
Main points:
Maureen Kennelly, director of the Arts Council, and Maura McGrath, chair of the board of the Arts Council, are among those set to appear before the PAC.
It has been confirmed that Ms Kennelly will step down in June after concluding her five-year term.
Representatives from the National Gallery are also due to appear before the committee to discuss why
a scanner it bought for €125,000
lay idle for eight years.

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