Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Let us take the OPW's estimate of €70 million, bearing in mind how inaccurate some estimates have proven to be within the OPW recently in developing much smaller developments. Does it not cause Mr. Conlon a great degree of concern that the OPW is proposing to spend €70 million, at a minimum, on a national children's science centre in the middle of Dublin, a very busy city, which makes it immensely difficult to get to for the children from across the country I assume we are hoping to serve? Furthermore, there is a facility called Explorium 10 km away which offers an excess of 350 interactive exhibits, a 120-seat theatre and 11,000 sq. m of ample space for future growth. It has 20 acres of car and bus parking and is a five-minute drive from the M50. It is 10 km from the site the OPW is currently proposing to develop. Has anyone from the OPW ever visited that facility and done an analysis of the likely costs associated with acquiring and, if necessary, upgrading that facility for it to serve as the national children's science centre?