Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 February 2022
105. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the details of his discussions to date to secure the continued operation of the Science Gallery, Trinity College, Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5508/22]
View answer112. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the efforts being made to retain the Science Gallery in Trinity College Dublin given its cultural importance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6359/22]
View answer126. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the engagement to date to secure the continued operation of the Science Gallery, Trinity College, Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5509/22]
View answer131. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the engagement his Department had on the future of the Science Gallery at Trinity College Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6072/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 105, 112, 126 and 131 together.
Since it opened in 2008, the Science Gallery has been a popular visitor attraction and strengthened the appreciation of science especially among young people. My Department and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media remain in contact with the Provost and management at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) since TCD’s initial announcement regarding the Science Gallery.
TCD has made it clear that the current model for the gallery is financially unsustainable due to changes in the philanthropic funding environment, which if left unaddressed, would have left the College exposed to significant ongoing financial liabilities. In a recent statement, the Provost of TCD noted that the gallery's current operational model had run its course, there is a need for the gallery to be totally reimagined, and that time is required to build a sustainable way forward.
My Department will continue to engage with TCD as they move into a new phase of planning for the gallery.
As I have said before, public funding continues to be available to support a sustainable model for public promotion of science. The Government has indicated that it is willing to engage with TCD, including in relation to funding on the basis of any proposals it brings forward.
