The Government has ordered an external review to be carried out into yet another controversial spending of taxpayer's money.

It has emerged almost €7 million was spent on a failed IT system for the Arts Council.

The project, which was meant to make funding applications easier, was shelved last year.

The issue was raised at Cabinet yesterday with Ministers said to be furious about the waste of money.

On Newstalk Breakfast, Minister for Arts, Culture, Communications, Media and Sport Patrick O’Donovan said this spend on a failed IT system was brought to his attention as he began the settling in period in his new department.

“Obviously, one of the big [issues] that was brought to my attention was the fact that the 2023 head of accounts for the Arts Council had not brought [this] to Government,” he said.

Minister O’Donovan said he is currently “trying to find out” who is responsible for this issue.

“Yesterday, I got Cabinet approval to proceed with an external review, the terms of reference of which I bring to Government within the next 10 days to a fortnight,” he said.

“That will allow a commencement of a full cultural examination and financial examination of the Arts Council.

“The second thing that I have done is also initiated an internal examination of my own department's role with regard to this - because obviously the money is derived from the exchequer through the department.”

Patrick O'Donovan TD. 19/08/2016 Photo: RollingNews.ie

Minister O’Donovan said he doesn’t know when his predecessor, Catherine Martin, was made aware of this massive spend.

“What I do know is that the Secretary General of the department and became aware of it in the summer and initiated a report immediately,” he said.

“[The report] concluded at the same time as I took over in the department and that report I’ve now published and brought to Government yesterday.

“That details some of the steps that were taken along the route of this project.”

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD. 18/07/2023 Photo: Gareth Chaney/ Collins Photos

Minister O’Donovan has said he has also tried to initiate a review of his department and that will report directly to the Government as well.

“There has been two major failings in a very short period with regard to two agencies and the public are right to be angry about it,” he said.

“I'm angry about it, I'm a taxpayer.

“The first thing I'm doing is agreeing a set of terms of reference and appointing an external review which will report to me and I’ll bring to Government.

“Any recommendations that are made by an external review both in terms of the Arts Council and the internal one that I'm doing with regards to my own department will be implemented.”

The offices of The Arts Council and Aosdana, the association of Irish artists in Merrion Square, Dublin, Ireland. Image: Alamy

Elsewhere, education Minister Helen McEntee said the failed IT system was a waste of taxpayer’s cash.

“It is absolutely unacceptable that money of this scale would be wasted in this way and I think that's the clear sentiment among all of us,” she said.

“Minister Donovan has directed a full investigation into the overall structures of the Arts Council - this is a really important organisation.”

Tánaiste Simon Harris also expressed anger at the news - and was told his Government was in charge at the time.

“It is also fair to say… that Government can only be accountable what Government is told,” he said in the Dáil.

Hands with 100 Euro banknotes, which are counted and put on a table. Image: Klaus Ohlenschlaeger / Alamy. 5 January 2018

Sinn Féin's Finance Spokesman Pearse Doherty said this is nothing new.

“The Government that you were in charge of in the last term has a serious problem with waste of public money,” he said to Simon Harris.

“They are serial wasters is what we're seeing from Government over and over again.”

While Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín said the money lost is staggering.

“It would have paid for 25 homes, put 75 people into those homes,” he said.

“It would have paid for 600 scoliosis operations. It would have paid for six CAMHS teams around the country.”

There is little expectation among the opposition that anyone will be held to account for this waste of money.

Listen back here:

The offices of The Arts Council in Merrion Square, Dublin, Ireland. Image: Alamy