Destroying Leinster House Historic Library at a cost of €3.7 million and a further €1.6 million annual running cost
Speaking today on the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2024, Senator Michael McDowell has revealed that the Office of Public Works has been found guilty of breaches of the Freedom of Information Act 2014 in a recent decision by the Information Commissioner’s Office.
The Information Commissioner’s Office found that the Office of Public Works had unlawfully breached Section 15(4) of the Freedom of Information Act by refusing all efforts by Independent members of the Seanad to have access to OPW plans to replace the Oireachtas Library Reading Room at Leinster House with a totally unnecessary second chamber for the Dáil.
The Senators had sought detail of the plans to spend a colossal €3.7 million reconfiguring the beautiful Oireachtas Library as a chamber for parallel sittings of Dáil Éireann. Not only would this project have cost €3.7 million as a capital expenditure. It would have added an extra €1.6 million annual running cost for the Dáil.
Members became aware of this gross waste of public money when a slide presentation was made in private to a Dáil sub-committee. It was suggested that the Dáil could avoid late sittings after 8.45pm if a second chamber was used. The same result could have been achieved by commencing Dáil sittings at 10am on Tuesdays or meeting on Monday afternoons or Friday mornings.
In the meantime, the beautiful Oireachtas Library Reading Room has been reduced to a tatty state with cheap furniture. Although it is legally a protected structure, its floorboards were removed and replaced by composite wooden panelling in preparation for the creation of a second chamber. Its historical light fittings have been replaced by cheaper fittings. Independent Senators have drawn this to the attention of the Planning Enforcement section of Dublin City Council and an investigation has been commenced.
The entire project which hopefully may not now proceed is a scandalous waste of public money, an ugly unlawful interference with a protected structure and a completely unnecessary division of Dáil Éireann into parallel sittings in two chambers .
The project puts the bike shed in the ha’penny place