Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 October 2014
238. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the percentage of board members in arts organisations who are directly from the arts community; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39662/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraI do not have responsibility for membership of boards of arts organisations funded by the Arts Council or by my Department. In 2014, the Arts Council funded 470 organisations. I am cognisant, however, that all arts organisations which receive funding from the public purse should adhere to the principles of good governance. Public bodies are required to adhere to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform's Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies. While the Code may be burdensome for small not-for-profit arts organisations, I consider that the principles of good governance and transparency should nonetheless be observed.
For this reason, smaller arts organisations funded by my Department are subject to a condition that they comply with good standards of transparency and accountability, which are set down on the website www.governancecode.ie. These standards are specifically tailored to meet the challenges of ensuring proper governance in the not-for-profit sector and are suitable for use by arts organisations, many of which are small. Adherence to these standards requires, inter alia, that the relevant organisations publish details of their board membership in their annual reports and accounts. I understand that the Arts Council also requires the organisations it funds to comply with these standards.
In relation to the Board of the Arts Council itself, the Deputy will find a short biography of each member of the Council on the Arts Council's website at http://www.artscouncil.ie/about/Who-we-are/
On its website, the Arts Council commits to operating to the highest standards of corporate governance and has adopted a corporate governance regime in accordance with best practice which includes a section on conflicts of interest. This document is also available on the Council's website.
In addition to its own governance code, members of the Council are appointed on the basis that during their term of appointment, they will not be employed by or serve on the boards of any organisations which apply for or receive funding from the Arts Council.
