Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation
Dail Éireann — 2026-05-20
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Eoghan Kenny (LAB), Cork North-Central

Yesterday I visited the proposed site of the national children's science centre at Earlsfort Terrace. I walked through the derelict north wing of that building with members of the board. It is a space that is full of potential but today it lies idle in the heart of our capital city. The Taoiseach stood on the site in December 2022 and announced, to be fair, the great redevelopment of the National Concert Hall. The fear now is that unless both projects proceed in parallel, the new concert hall will face closure for a prolonged period when, and if, construction eventually begins on the national children's science centre. We know now, following arbitration last December, that the OPW is legally obliged to deliver this project by the end of 2029, with annual work commitments already falling behind schedule. Will the Government unequivocally commit to delivering the national children's science centre? Which Department will lead the delivery of this? Will ring-fenced funding finally be put in place for this vital national project?

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Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted.

Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-20/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-28T05:50:47+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-20