One-off use of Dublin Convention Centre to sit Dáil to cost €160k
The use of Dublin’s Convention Centre to host the Dáil is going to cost around €160,000 for a single sitting.
The venue has been chosen to allow all 160 TDs to meet to elect a Taoiseach while maintaining social distancing.
It was put forward as a potential venue by the
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Despite there being no hire fee for the venue, it is estimated each Dáil sitting there will cost €50,000.
That’s on top of a one-off set-up fee of €110,000.
That fee is required to adapt the auditorium for proper use as a parliamentary chamber, including the installation of microphones.
Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall, who sits on the committee, admitted there weren't a lot of options.
"What happens when we get to a point where a taoiseach has to be elected or where emergency legislation needs to be passed?
"We have been checking out other potential venues, the most likely one at this point is the Convention Centre," she added, noting such votes would need every TD present.
A reduced Dáil is scheduled to sit next week where Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Health Minister Simon Harris will answer questions on Ireland's response to the outbreak of Covid-19
