A radical restructuring of the Arts Council executive is under way with the appointment of Mr John O'Kane to the new position of arts programme director. A further 12 Arts Council positions have also been advertised in an unprecedented recruitment drive.
Mr O'Kane, formerly chief executive officer of Music Network, the body set up "to develop music in Ireland on a nationwide basis", will take up his five-year contract in January. It is "essentially a grant management function", according to Mr O'Kane, who will be making recommendations to the Arts Council on where grant aid is allocated.
As an assistant principal officer grade post in the Civil Service, the position will carry a salary of between €46,559-€58,054 annually.
Amounting to a 30 per cent increase in Arts Council staffing numbers, once the 12 new appointments have been made, the number of full-time staff at the Arts Council will rise from 33 to 45.
The appointments will be made "without an additional cost to the Exchequer", says Ms Patricia Quinn, director of the Arts Council. The increased pay-roll costs would be drawn from the council's annual Government funding of €48 million, Ms Quinn said, and would cost €370,000 annually. That €370,000 figure excludes the pay-roll cost of Mr O'Kane's appointment.
That appointment will be followed by the appointment of an arts policy director. With Ms Mary Cloake, who is currently arts development director, the trio will constitute the senior management structure of the Arts Council. Mr O'Kane, Ms Cloake and the new policy director will be answerable to Ms Quinn.
The other advertised positions are for a webmaster and data manager, a research officer, a press and communications officer, an arts officer, four arts programme managers, an artists' services manager, an arts participation programmes manager and a local arts development manager.
The Arts Council restructuring is to facilitate the implementation of the third national arts plan, approved by the Government last April, and in light of the new arts Bill which is soon to go before the Oireachtas.