Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

-----an increase of 30 posts since December 2006, so substantial numbers of new staff have been taken on in recent years. It is also the case that the OPW will proceed with the building of the forensic science laboratory, which is a purpose-built facility on available State land at Backweston campus in Leixlip, which is already the location for the State Laboratory and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food laboratory. The site, which is fully serviced, is considered suitable for a development of this type. The new laboratory will have the capacity to maintain and operate the proposed national database.

I understand the OPW has the money to commence in the not-too-distant future the tendering process for construction, and this will take place in early 2010. It is expected that the tendering process will take about six to seven months, so I would expect the forensic science laboratory would start on the Backweston site some time later in 2010. It is all good news.

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