No value for money analysis carried out on €25m centre

A €25 MILLION replacement for the disastrously costly MediaLab Europe project was fast-tracked by Government without proper analysis of its value for money, causing it to be branded “high risk”.

A critical internal audit of the decision to fund the National Digital Research Centre (NDRC) said it broke Department of Finance guidelines. “We are not satisfied that the appraisal process, as stipulated in the Department of Finance capital appraisal guidelines… have been adhered to. This represents a high risk,” it said.

The Department of Communications’ Internal Audit Unit called for a retrospective analysis to see if it was worth €25m.