Joanna Byrne (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome the witnesses. Returning to the national science centre project, it is fair to say it has been an omnishambles from beginning to end, with a breathtaking lack of governance and financial scrutiny and being devoid of any oversight, all to the detriment of the taxpayer. With that in mind and with a view to learning lessons as we go forward, I note that the last time the estimated cost of the project was assessed was last year, and the estimate was to the tune of €70 million. Is the OPW monitoring that regularly? The cost of materials, construction and everything else is rising at the moment. It was stated earlier that no Department is willing to take the lead to fund the project. How can the OPW expect any Department to consider stepping up if the current cost is not being monitored to give a clear indication of the potential final cost if the project is ever achieved?