Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 May 2022
559. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his attention has been drawn to the circumstances surrounding the reason that €2 million in funding apportioned to University of Limerick under the energy efficiency and decarbonisation pathfinder programme that he launched in 2021 has been withheld from the university; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24299/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra566. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the reason some €2 million apportioned to the University of Limerick under the energy efficiency and decarbonisation pathfinder programme 2021, a fund to aid higher education institutions with retrofitting, has been withheld from the university; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24297/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra567. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans to have €2 million in funding apportioned to the University of Limerick under the Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation Pathfinder Programme 2021 and €1.7 million in withheld capital funding, released to the University of Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24298/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 559, 566 and 567 together.
Concerns have been raised in relation to aspects of the governance process associated with UL’s acquisition of the former Dunnes Stores site in Limerick City Centre in 2019.
The site acquisition in question was not grant-funded by the Exchequer. An independent review of the site acquisition process was commissioned subsequently by UL from KPMG.
Last year, on foot of the concerns raised, my Department took the decision to pause €1.7 million of devolved capital grant funding to UL pending the completion of a governance assurance process by UL, including their response to any findings from the KPMG report.
In addition, a UL project was one of eight projects recently approved in principle, following technical evaluation, under the second round of the Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation Pathfinder Programme. The release of funding for this project has also been also paused.
The pause of funding will be kept under review pending the sharing by UL of relevant matters and remedial actions taken on foot of the KPMG report, which would allow the ongoing governance assurance process to be completed.
