Media Lab closure ‘must be probed’

OPPOSITION parties have called for urgent investigation into the collapse of the Government-backed research venture Media Lab Europe.

Media Lab Europe (MLE) management said last Friday it was closing its doors with the loss of 60 jobs and €35 million in taxpayers money. The hi-tech research facility also swallowed €12m in corporate donations. The venture had failed to attract enough private funding and a rescue plan it put to the Government was rejected.

Green Party finance spokesman Dan Boyle said the closure and the amount of public money used to fund it should be investigated by the Dáil’s Public Accounts Committee into the Media Lab closure.

Media Lab Europe was the centre-piece of the Government’s Digital Hub initiative, which was launched in a blaze of publicity to put Ireland at the front of cutting edge research.

Deputy Boyle said that, following Media Lab’s closure and the “questionable future of the whole Digital Hub project”, questions must be answered about how the money invested has been spent to date.

“In particular, the monies invested in any viability plan process that should have identified the pitfalls for the large public monies that were invested,” he added.

He says PAC should also look at large amounts of money given to consultants in the development of the Digital Hub project.

Fine Gael’s Dublin MEP Gay Mitchell said the Government should look at finding a new occupier for the Media Lab site, which is located in the Liberties area of Dublin’s south inner city.

“Since the announcement on Friday about the impending closure of the MLE, the Government has indicated that it will probably use the facility as a research centre for a third level institution. This really isn’t good enough,” he said.

“A decision on the future of this site can only be made after a proper independent study is carried out.”