Audit report criticises DCAL for project overspends 22 March 2013 Last updated at 06:23 By Maggie Taggart BBC Northern Ireland education correspondent The audit office has criticised the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) for allowing multi-million pound building projects to go over budget. Five arts buildings, an outdoor pursuits centre and the public records office were largely paid for by DCAL. The auditor said those who plan schemes are often too optimistic about the cost. The report calls on DCAL to keep a closer eye on future projects to avoid similar problems. The five Belfast arts projects were the Grand Opera House, the Crescent Arts Centre, Ulster Museum, Lyric Theatre and the Mac. They were paid for by DCAL. The Audit Office also examined building projects for the Public Records Office and Tollymore Outdoor Centre. Comptroller and Auditor General, Kieran Donnelly, said: "It is pleasing that all of the projects have delivered the expected assets and that a number of the projects have been highly commended and have received prestigious awards. However it is disappointing that most of the construction work did not go according to plan, with delays and cost overruns which resulted in all seven projects needing additional funding. Going forward, the department has a capital budget of £158m (including £110m for Stadia) for the period 2011-15. It is vitally important, therefore, that the department ensures that effective measures have been put in place to reduce the likelihood of similar problems in the future. Facilities for the arts and leisure were deemed to be so poor in Northern Ireland that the government agreed to rebuild them. But every one went over budget and most took longer than expected. The Metropolitan Arts Centre was originally priced at £9m but added facilities brought the cost to almost double that. Monitoring of the new Lyric building by the department was particularly criticised by the Audit Office - the cost rose by £5m. The Audit Office said it was not able to satisfy itself that builders Gilbert-Ash were selected on the basis of value for money because records were not made available to it. The report also notes Gilbert-Ash made a donation to Lyric funding and said while such philanthropy should not be discouraged, it is essential for public sector bodies to manage any perceived conflicts of interest. In a statement, Gilbert-Ash said: "We had no control over the adjustment to tender costs made during the procurement process - a practice that is standard in our industry to allow for like for like comparison of bids. We are committed to positively impacting on the community around us. As such, we were delighted to sponsor the Lyric theatre, a fantastic arts venue and a major contributor to cultural life in Northern Ireland. We implemented a similar sponsorship partnership when working on the Waterfront Hall project and may follow similar practice in the future, should the opportunity arise.