The Council

The Arts Council is the statutory body through which public funding for the arts in Northern Ireland, is channelled. The Council was established as a statutory body by the Arts Council (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 on 1 September 1995. It is funded via grant-in-aid by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) and is managed by a Board. Members are appointed by the Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure.

The Council is made up of the Chairman plus 13 members, providing a broad cross-section of expertise and including representatives from the arts and culture sector. The current members were appointed in December 2011 for a term of four years, ending November 2015. The following board members were reappointed to serve a second term of office: Damien Coyle, Paul Seawright, Prof Ian Montgomery, Janine Walker, Brian Sore. Eibhlínn Ní Dhochartaigh, Conor Shields and Nisha Tandon joined the board in May 2013 for a term of four years.

All appointments are made in accordance with the Code of Practice of the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland. A selection panel, which includes an independent assessor, as required under the Commissioner’s Code, consideres the suitability of all candidates. The final decision on the appointments rests with the Minister.

All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for the political activity of appointees (if declared) to be published.

The post of Chairman receives an honorarium of £10,000 per annum, the post of Vice-Chair receives an honorarium of £3,500 per annum. The members’ positions are unpaid, with members receiving expenses only.

A brief history of the Arts Council can be found here.

The Chairman and Council members have individual and collective responsibility to the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure (or, in the absence of a locally devolved administration, a Minister from the NIO) for the governance of the Arts Council.

The members of the Council are: (as of May 2013)

Bob Collins (Chair)

Damien Coyle (Vice-Chairman)

David Alderdice

Anna Carragher

Noelle McAlinden

Katherine McCloskey

Professor Ian Montgomery

Paul Mullan

Eibhlínn Ní Dhochartaigh

Paul Seawright

Conor Shields

Brian Sore

Nisha Tandon

Janine Walker

The Council maintains a Register of Interests and a Hospitality Register of all Council members.

The Council provides leadership for the executive body, in particular in defining and developing its strategic direction, including the five year strategic plan. It monitors performance, in order to ensure that the Arts Council fully meets its aims, objectives and performance targets, and acts in a way that promotes the highest standards of accountability. The Council meets at least ten times throughout the year and publishes its Calendar of events plus the Agenda and Minutes of each meeting.

The Council conducts a great deal of its work through a number of business committees which then report back to Council. The membership and Terms of Reference of each of these Committees can be found here.

The day to day operation and management of ACNI is undertaken by the Council’s Executive under the direction of the Chief Executive.

Council members may claim expenses in relation to their duties, details of which may be found by clicking here.

To return to Governance and Accountability page click here

Arts Council of Northern Ireland