Vol. 539 No. 2
46 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Finance the concerns expressed by his Department to the Department of the Taoiseach that public financial procedures may not have been adhered to in regard to the proposed digital village in the Liberties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19059/01]
In April 2000 the Government approved the development of a digital media village in association with the MediaLab Europe project. The estimates for 2000 included a capital provision of £29 million, of which £14 million was to meet commitments in relation to MediaLab Europe with the balance of £15 million being available for other costs involved.
I understand that during 2000, the Office of Public Works, at the request of Digital Media Development Limited, identified a number of properties in the Liberties and Thomas Street areas which were considered suitable for purchase towards the development of the digital hub. In December 2000, £15 million was transferred from the Department of the Taoiseach into an escrow account at the request of the Office of Public Works to enable it arrange for deposits to be placed to secure properties.
Following consultations in the matter, it was considered that the most appropriate manner to deal with the acquisitions was to make financial provision in the current year. The relevant funds were included in a Revised Estimate for 2001 for the Department of Public Enterprise which has responsibility for the project. The funds in the Escrow account were returned to the Exchequer.
