OPW has ‘no money’ for national children’s science centre it is legally obliged to build

Long mired in controversy, the centre's estimated cost has ballooned from €14.3m in 2003 to over €70.4m now

A visualisation of the proposed National Children’s Science Centre in Dublin. OPW minister Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran said: 'We have no sponsoring department within government to take it on.' Picture: 3ddesignbureau.com

The minister for the OPW has insisted there is “no money” and “no budget” to build a proposed children’s science centre, which has been mired in controversy and setbacks.

The Office of Public Works (OPW) first committed to developing the facility 23 years ago, and is legally obligated to build the centre.