Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 July 2019
939. Deputy Marc MacSharry asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the status of capital projects within the remit of his Department; the amount spent on each project to date; and the anticipated completion date. [34206/19]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that the new Forensic Science Laboratory in Co. Kildare is the only capital project under the remit of my Department's Vote and Agencies and work on this project is continuing.
The Office of Public Works (OPW) is managing the project on behalf of my Department. The OPW advised that, due to the complexity of ISO standard (14644-1) for Cleanrooms and Associated Controlled Environments, it was necessary to add further material to the tender documentation for the main contract. As a result the timelines for issuing the tender documentation had to be revised.
Tender submissions for the main contract were received on 12th July and are currently being assessed. The construction of the project is expected to take approximately two years to complete from the placing of the contract.
The Forensic Science Laboratory project has incurred expenditure of €2.7m to date in relation to site clearance and preparation works.
I have requested that relevant Agencies under the remit of my Department and operating under a separate Vote structure (Courts Service, Prison Service and An Garda Síochána) respond directly to the Deputy.
