Accountability needed for National Children’s Science Centre – Neville

Leadership is immediately required to resolve the National Children’s Science Centre which has already cost €5m, a Fine Gael TD has said.

Fine Gael’s Infrastructure spokesperson Joe Neville said: “It is time for two departments, the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (DPER) and the Office of Public Works (OPW) to resolve the ongoing costly saga.

“DEPR and the OPW must stop pointing fingers at each other and take ownership of the project which has cost millions in legal fees, arbitration costs and planning, with nothing to show.

“I can think of plenty of projects that would massively benefit from €5m in funding rather than wasted on a legal obligation for a project, committed to in 2003, which taxpayers have not seen delivery on.

“Action is needed to ensure spending on this project is stopped and a resolution is found.

“There is already a fully functioning private Science Centre in Sandyford in place, so why do we need another?

“I recently asked both DEPR and the OPW in the Public Accounts Committee to outline the responsibility they have over the project, and neither could do so.

“Let’s get serious about this and take responsibility for something that is going nowhere currently and we have nothing to show but a large hole in the exchequer,” Deputy Neville said.