Details have come to light regarding the Office of Public Works (OPW) settlement of more than €300,000 in legal expenses to a privately-run charity engaged in a dispute over the anticipated construction of a national children’s science museum in Dublin. This revelation has raised eyebrows given that the anticipated final cost for the overdue project is expected to surpass €70 million.
John Conlon, the chairperson of OPW, recently communicated with the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and unveiled that the OPW was tasked with footing the bill for both parties’ legal expenses following an arbitration procedure in 2013. The OPW’s costs amounted to €255,252 while those of the Irish Children’s Museum Limited (ICML), a charity that has been advocating for the creation of such a facility for over twenty-five years, were €307,000.
Conlon further indicated that an accord to erect the museum close to the National Concert Hall on Earlsfort Terrace was made ahead of the planned arbitration hearings, thereby bypassing the need for any hearings at all. It’s worth noting that the anticipated cost of the project, which was €26 million at its inception, has witnessed nearly a threefold increase since.
Catherine Murphy, a committee member, expressed her apprehensions this weekend that the project is in danger of becoming a mini national children’s hospital. The representative of the Social Democrats harboured fears that the project’s eventual cost for the government could easily exceed €70 million.
Murphy criticised the escalating financial implications of a project initially envisaged as considerably smaller in scale, suggesting the possibility of superfluous replication. During a committee meeting, she raised concerns about a private charity’s dominant role in this project, arguing that the state would lack any influence over the museum’s operations, despite providing the financial backing. She underscored the issue in stating that while the museum might indeed be extraordinary, it currently falls outside of governmental control.
The document also contained information on another arbitration case initiated by the ICML, also known as the National Children’s Science Centre (NCSC), in 2020 due to interruptions in launching the project. The case involved forcing the Office of Public Works (OPW) to follow through with and finalise a facility intended to serve as a premier interactive science museum tailored for children. An interim order was issued by the arbitrator in 2022 and planning approval was given this year.
The Chairman of OPW was unable to provide the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) with detailed cost information regarding this arbitration case, nor could he confirm whether OPW would be responsible for covering the charity’s legal expenses as was the case in 2013.
He mentioned that the arbitration process on this matter is still not concluded. It is likely that the legal fees associated with this most recent arbitration case, active for four years now, may exceed those from the 2013 procedure.
Over the weekend, Barbara Galavan, NCSC’s CEO, stated that the charity presented two business plans to the Government, in 2003, and then again in 2018. She estimated a fit-out cost of €25 million for the museum, which would be crowdfunded through charitable donations and company sponsorship.
She also added that the museum will not require continuous funding from the State for its running and ongoing expenses once it is operational. The OPW, being the lessor, is responsible for the public building’s maintenance. Aligning with the Government’s vision for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths) education, she said the museum aims to help Ireland gain international recognition for its high-quality STEM learning experiences.
Addressing criticism for the charity’s legal pursuit, Ms Galavan said, “We would much rather have avoided arbitration. We are the single country in the OECD without a prominent science centre.”
The initial arbitration process began when the charity demanded OPW to uphold an agreement licence signed in 2003, binding the State (through the OPW) to provide the charity with a building.
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), a national auditor, has been closely examining the expenditures related to this endeavour that was initially suggested in 1998. There is unease among committee members regarding a private charity’s capacity to necessitate the State to supply a highly expensive building.
The members of PAC have also raised doubts about the requirement of such a museum, especially considering the existence of a privately managed, science-themed institution, the Explorium Museum located in southern Dublin County.
The board of the National Children’s Science Centre (NCSC) consists of distinguished individuals such as activist and businesswoman Ali Hewson and Trinity College Dublin’s scientist Professor Luke O’Neill. Professor O’Neill, in a recent interview with RTÉ Prime Time, claimed that it would be one of the world’s leading children’s science museums and would draw private sponsorship from pharmaceutical companies.
In terms of funding, Ms Galavan stated her commitment to a principled funding policy, ensuring that the centre would never be under the control of any particular business or industry.