Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There are questions to be answered in respect of the oversight of the Picture Palace development. I agree that the project was well-intentioned but there are concerns as to how that funding allocation happened, why it ran over in the way it did and so on. Moreover, those concerns will persist because several of the same players are involved in the preparations for Galway's role as a European Capital of Culture in 2020. It is a great initiative for Galway but we need to be very careful about how moneys are expended. I understand there are issues with Galway City Museum, for example, even though a great deal of money was spent on it. Will the Minister comment on that? The €1.8 million plus that was spent on Galway's bid to be a European Capital of Culture for 2020 seems a colossal amount of money. Research I have done shows the average spent by other cities in Europe, including the successful ones, was €300,000. We need much greater transparency around that. It is a huge project and will be a very positive one if it is run properly. We must ensure robust mechanisms of oversight, management and corporate governance are in place which will enable Galway to get the best possible return, not just culturally but economically. It is important that the moneys spent have a positive cultural impact rather than just providing an economic gain for Galway and the region. We might discuss this issue at a future date. Several capital projects are being discussed around the 2020 bid and it is important to know where the moneys will come from, what discussions have been had with the Department and what commitments are given as we proceed. We must prevent overruns on those projects.