Department Contacts Data Watchdog Over Alleged Data Breach at Arts Council

The Department of Culture, Communications and Sport has written to the Data Protection Commissioner regarding an alleged 'significant data breach' at the Arts Council. The incident involved a former staff member of the Arts Council who reportedly entered its headquarters in an attempt to obtain documentation, despite no longer being employed by the organization at the time.

The Arts Council, the national government body responsible for funding and promoting the arts, faced controversy earlier this year when it was revealed that €6.7m was spent on an IT project that was later abandoned. This led to a comprehensive external review of the council's operations, as directed by Arts Minister Patrick O’Donovan.

The review highlighted that the council was ill-prepared for the project's scope and had not allocated sufficient resources for its completion. At a recent meeting of the Dáil’s Public Accounts Committee, the council expressed regret over the funds expended on the failed IT system and disclosed that legal action is being pursued against two IT contractors involved in the project.

The former director of the Arts Council, Maureen Kennelly, mentioned that through these legal actions, there is hope of recovering most of the funds spent. Despite a strong business case presented by the council's board for her reappointment, Kennelly's term ended recently, and the minister did not approve her continuation in the role.

The Data Protection Commissioner's office did not provide a comment on any correspondence received regarding the alleged data breach at the Arts Council.

According to the source: The Irish Independent.