Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)

I propose to share time with my colleague Deputy Upton.

It is very important that the Dáil is given a very full report on the closing of Media Lab Europe which occurred on 14 January last — it will be liquidated on 1 February — and on the failure of the negotiations between the MIT and the Government regarding additional funding and sponsorship for the project. It must be said that 14 January was a sad day that saw the closure of the anchor tenant in the digital village in the Liberties. Only last autumn Media Lab Europe employed more than 70 people, which was reduced to 45 people more recently. It is very important that we commiserate tonight with those workers who have tragically lost their important jobs. I hope any new similar project in the digital hub will ensure they are employed.

Earlier today I asked the Taoiseach whether he had any regrets at the manner in which Media Lab Europe had folded, the manner in which it was established and the lack of support and attention he, as the progenitor, along with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Dermot Ahern, and the Minister of State, Deputy Noel Treacy, had given it. Media Lab Europe was perhaps one of the Taoiseach's two pet projects, Abbotstown being the other one. It was very much the minor project and the Taoiseach certainly took his eye off the ball.

It is right that the Comptroller and Auditor General and the Committee of Public Accounts should examine the €35 million that has been spent by the State on Media Lab Europe. Even though Ms Carla Lillington, our most distinguished high-tech writer, says that the net amount may be only €8 million, we should examine it closely. The IT downturn certainly damaged the planned structure of private corporate sponsorship. Corporate sponsorship which had been expected to run at €10 million a year was only running at one fifth of that and our media lab had to compete with the media lab in Boston. Furthermore, the aims of Media Lab Europe were never very clear. If we compare the Liberties with districts in Seoul and Kuala Lumpur, our ambition for the Liberties was far smaller compared to that of other countries.

It was not clear whether Media Lab Europe had a commercial mandate and or just an academic one, and it could not issue academic qualifications. It is also regrettable that the two local universities, DIT and Trinity College, were not involved in the project, and it is regrettable that there was such a large turnover of leadership. In only four years we had Nicholas Negroponte, Rudi Burger, Ken Haase and Simon Jones and each left with a huge golden handshake. This was not helpful in ensuring this was a successful, sustainable project.

I accept that it was a unique venture and played a very important role regarding the road we are travelling to becoming a technological civilisation. I note that luminaries such as Larry Page and Sergei Bryn of Google visited it along with many others in recent times and that it raised €11 million in work with other universities abroad.

Two Ministers are responsible. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Dempsey and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Dermot Ahern, did not give the issue the attention it deserves. I welcome Deputy Dempsey's belated announcement and I hope we will have a full debate in the House on the issues to which I have briefly alluded.

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