Aidan Farrelly (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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727. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 804, 805 and 806, if the steering group has communicated any issues of concern in respect of the project to date to the audit and risk committee off the sponsoring bodies; if so, the nature of same; if he will provide a schedule of any design changes made post-project commencement; and if an estimated date of completion and reopening have been established. [30550/25]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The redevelopment of a city-centre heritage property such as the Natural History Museum with a precious and delicate collection is, by its very nature, a challenging and difficult undertaking. Following approval of Preliminary Business Case in 2023, the redevelopment of the Natural History Museum is currently in the design phase. Last year, Fitzgerald Kavanagh & Partners were appointed to lead the integrated design team. One of their initial key tasks is to initiate the investigative works the outcome of which will assist the design development and help estimate the outline programme of works, duration and cost of the project. The Museum closed in September 2024 to enable a full decant of specimens before commencement of these investigative works. During the closure the Dead Zoo Lab will be accessible to the public at the NMI site in Collins Barracks from the Summer of 2025 once preparatory works in the Riding School at Collins Barracks have been completed.

The redevelopment of the Museum is managed in line with the provisions of the Infrastructure Guidelines, as well as the Governance and Operational Arrangements between the Department, the National Cultural Institutions (NCI) and the OPW for the NCI capital investment programme. In that context, the agreed structure for the institutional oversight, governance and operational arrangements includes a Steering Group, to direct projects at the strategic level, and a Project Team, to undertake the management of the project. To date, the NMI have confirmed that no issues of concern in respect of the project were reported to their audit and risk committee. Similarly no issues have been referred to the audit committee in the Department.