Patrick O'Donovan admonished for bringing ‘substantial' issues to Cabinet without telling colleagues
Minister for Culture
Patrick O'Donovan
was admonished by
Department of Public Expenditure
officials for bringing 'substantial expenditure' issues such as the failed
Arts Council
IT project to Cabinet without sharing details with colleagues in advance.
A senior official in Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers's department complained that, under Government procedures, such important policy issues should be flagged and seen 'well before' these are considered by Ministers.
Marianne Cassidy, an assistant secretary at the department, said this was the second time Mr O'Donovan brought a major item to Cabinet 'under the arm', meaning it was not shared in advance with other colleagues.
The abandoned project, which led to more than €5.3 million being written off by the State
, first came to light in February when Mr O'Donovan brought a memo on the matter to Cabinet. He was only weeks into his new role as a senior minister, and it soon emerged that his predecessor,
Catherine Martin
, was aware of the matter since summer last year.
READ MORE
The Department of Public Expenditure became aware of Mr O'Donovan's intention to bring the issue to Cabinet five days before this occurred. On Friday, February 7th, Ms Cassidy wrote to the Department of Culture to say her team understood Mr O'Donovan's memo 'will bring serious issues to the attention of Government'.
She said the Department of Public Expenditure still had not seen the memo or been made aware of its detail, despite it appearing that these issues had been under consideration by the Department of Culture 'for a while'.
'As a result, it will not be possible to consider them and advise our Minister in relation to them,' said the letter, released under Freedom of Information laws.
The letter noted Mr O'Donovan's proposal to spend €10 million bringing an
NFL American football game to Croke Park in September
had also gone to Cabinet that same week 'under the arm'.
It said this practice 'makes it very difficult for this department, and indeed for Government generally, to thoroughly and properly consider issues and their implications, particularly regarding substantial expenditure implications and serious governance issues'.
'This Department should be allowed time, in compliance with government procedures, to properly scrutinise important policy issues ... well before they are table [sic] for consideration by Government,' it said.
The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer at the Department of Public Expenditure had been liaising with the Arts Council throughout the project. At one point, this office had raised concerns that a key person involved in the project seemed to have 'little to no relevant expertise in this particular area'.
In a statement, Mr O'Donovan's department said in the case of the NFL and the Arts Council issues 'there were time pressures involved which required the issues to be brought to Government at short notice'.
Codec, the international IT company, has confirmed to The Irish Times it is one of four contractors now facing
legal action initiated by the Arts Council over the botched project
, which led to €6.75 million being spent on a new grant processing system that never materialised.
The firm has strongly rejected an Arts Council briefing paper, shared under Freedom of Information laws, that alleged Codec did 'substandard' work on the project and was 'difficult' to engage with.
Codec, one of the main contractors, has defended its work on the project. It said it 'fully delivered' on the scope and deliverables and built a system that was 'high quality, fully functioning according to spec'.
'Codec denies that it has any liability to the Arts Council for any alleged losses which the Arts Council claims it may have suffered,' the company said. It said it has received a notice of intent from the Arts Council to commence arbitration and has confirmed its intention to participate.
'Despite several requests, the Arts Council has been unwilling to provide Codec with the report prepared by an auditor examining the project on its behalf,' it also said.
An Arts Council spokeswoman said it has 'commenced proceedings against two companies and we are in pre-action stage with two further companies'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
7 hours ago
- Irish Times
‘None of us are free until everyone is free': Tens of thousands attend Budapest Pride in defiance of ban
Tens of thousands of protesters marched through Hungary's capital on Saturday as a banned LGBTQ+ rights rally swelled into a mass demonstration against the government. Crowds filled a square near Budapest's city hall before setting off across the city, some waving rainbow flags, others carrying signs mocking prime minister Viktor Orban . 'This is about much more, not just about homosexuality .... This is the last moment to stand up for our rights,' said Eszter Rein Bodi, one of the marchers. 'None of us are free until everyone is free,' one sign read. READ MORE Small groups of far-right counter-protesters attempted to disrupt the parade, but police kept them away and diverted the route of the march to avoid any clashes. Participants march in the Budapest Pride parade on Saturday. Photograph:Mr Orban's nationalist government has gradually curtailed the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in the past decade, and its members of parliament passed a law in March that allows for the ban of Pride marches, citing the need to protect children. Opponents see the move as part of a wider crackdown on democratic freedoms ahead of a national election next year when Mr Orban will face a strong opposition challenger. Organisers said participants arrived from 30 different countries, with 70 members of the European Parliament, including from Ireland, joining the parade. More than 30 embassies have expressed support for the march and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen called on Hungarian authorities to let it go ahead. Seventy Hungarian civil society groups, including the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, Transparency International Hungary and the Hungarian Helsinki Commission, published an open letter on Friday in support of the march, saying the law that led to the police ban 'serves to intimidate the entire society'. 'The right to assembly is a basic human right, and I don't think it should be banned. Just because someone does not like the reason why you go to the street, or they do not agree with it, you still have the right to do so,' said Krisztina Aranyi, another marcher. Budapest's municipality organised the Pride march in a move to circumvent a law that allows police to ban LGBTQ+ marches. Photograph: Peter Kohalmi/AFP via Getty Images Budapest mayor Gergely Karacsony tried to circumvent the law by organising the march as a municipal event, which he said does not need a permit. Police, however, banned the event, arguing that it fell under the scope of the child protection law. Mr Orban, whose government promotes a Christian-conservative agenda, provided some clues on Friday about what participants can expect when he warned of 'legal consequences' for organising and attending the march. Earlier this week his justice minister Bence Tuzson warned in a letter sent to some foreign embassies in Budapest that organising a prohibited event is punishable by one year in jail, while attending counts as a misdemeanour. The law that allows for the ban of Pride lets police impose fines and use facial recognition cameras to identify people who attend. When asked about the threat of a one-year jail term, Mr Karacsony said at a press briefing on Friday that such a sentence would only boost his popularity. 'But I cannot take it seriously,' he said. Making the march a key topic of political discourse has allowed the Orban government to take the initiative back from the opposition and mobilise its voter base, said Zoltan Novak, an analyst at the Centre for Fair Political Analysis. Hungary's prime minister Viktor Orban. Photograph: John Thys/AFP via Getty Images 'In the past 15 years, Fidesz decided what topics dominated the political world,' he said, noting that this has become more difficult as Mr Orban's party has faced an increasing challenge from centre-right opposition leader Peter Magyar's Tisza party, which had a 15-point lead over Fidesz in a recent poll. Tisza, which has been avoiding taking a strong position on gay rights issues, did not specify in response to questions whether it believed the Pride march was lawful, but said those attending deserved the state's protection. 'Peter Magyar has called on the Hungarian authorities and police to protect the Hungarian people this Saturday, and on other days as well, even if it means standing up against the arbitrariness of power,' its press office said. Mr Magyar himself did not attend. - Reuters
Irish Times
12 hours ago
- Irish Times
What the new rent rules mean for landlords and tenants
The Government's emergency legislation aimed at making the whole State a Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) has all the hallmarks of a rushed job. When first announced earlier this month the details seemed vague; renters and landlords were confused as to what it might mean for them; even Government officials called to explain the new measures in interview after interview, struggled. Irish Times consumer affairs correspondent Conor Pope regularly does reader call-outs, testing levels of consumer confusion and frustration. He asked for queries – from tenants and landlords – in relation to the new legislation with the promise that he would take these queries directly to the Department of Housing for clear answers. READ MORE This is what he learned. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon.
Irish Times
12 hours ago
- Irish Times
Tens of thousands expected to attend Budapest Pride in defiance of ban
Tens of thousands of LGBTQ+ rights supporters are expected to attend the Budapest Pride march on Saturday, defying a police ban as the event has become a symbol of the years-long struggle between Hungary 's nationalist government and civil society. Prime minister Viktor Orban 's government has gradually curtailed the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in the past decade, and its lawmakers passed a law in March that allows for the ban of Pride, citing the need to protect children. Opponents see the move as part of a wider crackdown on democratic freedoms in advance of a general election next year when Orban will face a strong opposition challenger. Organisers said they expect tens of thousands to attend, with participants arriving from 30 different countries, including European Commissioner for Equality Hadja Lahbib and about 70 members of the European Parliament. READ MORE More than 30 embassies have expressed support for the march and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen called on Hungarian authorities to let the parade go ahead. Seventy Hungarian civil society groups, including the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, Transparency International Hungary and the Hungarian Helsinki Commission, published an open letter on Friday in support of the march, saying the law that led to the police ban 'serves to intimidate the entire society'. Budapest mayor Gergely Karacsony tried to circumvent the law by organising the march as a municipal event, which he said does not need a permit. However, police banned the event, arguing that it fell under the scope of the child protection law. Mr Orban, whose government promotes a Christian-conservative agenda, provided clues on Friday about what participants can expect when he warned of 'legal consequences' for organising and attending the march. [ Green Party leader Roderic O'Gorman to take part in banned Budapest Pride march Opens in new window ] Earlier this week justice minister Bence Tuzson warned in a letter sent to some foreign embassies in Budapest that organising a prohibited event is punishable by one year in jail, while attending counts as a misdemeanour. The law that allows for the ban of Pride lets police impose fines and use facial recognition cameras to identify people who attend. When asked about the threat of a one-year jail term, Mr Karacsony said at a press briefing on Friday that such a sentence would only boost his popularity. 'But I cannot take it seriously,' he said. Making the march a key topic of political discourse has allowed the Orban government to take the initiative back from the opposition and mobilise its voter base, said Zoltan Novak, an analyst at the Centre for Fair Political Analysis think tank. [ A quarter of major US corporate backers pull out of Dublin Pride over Trump fears Opens in new window ] 'In the past 15 years, Fidesz decided what topics dominated the political world,' he said, noting that this has become more difficult as Orban's party has faced an increasing challenge from centre-right opposition leader Peter Magyar's Tisza party, which has a 15-point lead over Orban's Fidesz in a recent poll. Tisza, which has been avoiding taking a strong position on gay rights issues, did not specify in response to Reuters questions whether it believed the Pride march was lawful, but said those attending deserved the state's protection. 'Peter Magyar has called on the Hungarian authorities and police to protect the Hungarian people this Saturday, and on other days as well, even if it means standing up against the arbitrariness of power,' its press office said. Mr Magyar himself will not attend. – Reuters
