Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I state reluctantly that the reply is very disappointing and the Minister of State will know why, given the history of this project. It started in 2014 and it is now 2022. He provided a repetition of the answer I received in June about a framework.

Where is the framework? Why has it not been published? There were serious issues from day one with this project with regard to constant turnover of staff, governance issues and a lack of robust control. The myriad problems were highlighted at the Committee of Public Accounts by the special report from the Comptroller and Auditor General. This should have been an inherent part of the planning of the project, given the €15 million from the Department, with €1 million still outstanding for heritage. Surely, eight years later, there should be a clear outline of what that €1 million will be used for. Galway is crying out for rehearsal and performance spaces - we heard when we were in touch this week with artists on the ground - among many other things.

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