James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The cost is €1.3 million. There is no commitment to increase that if we are not in a position to do so. Could Professor McNulty confirm that?

I also wish to raise the multiplier effect. The best comparator here is the European Space Agency, which I also visited last year with the Minister of State, Deputy John Halligan. A sevenfold multiplier effect is sometimes cited there. For every €1 invested, one gets €7 back. A multiplier effect applies to the European Southern Observatory as well, and I understand CERN has one too. It is not a case of merely handing money over to someone else. Multiples of that money come back. Perhaps the professor could elaborate on the cost and the multiplier effect in direct benefits to Irish businesses and academics .