PLANS TO have Seanad Éireann vacate its chamber in Leinster House for necessary remedial work have been put back until 2010 at least, the Office of Public Works said yesterday.
Sittings of the Seanad were to be temporarily transferred to one of the committee rooms in Leinster House to accommodate the work, which was originally scheduled to begin this year.
Two senior OPW officials said yesterday that two factors have contributed to the delay.
The first related to new procurement rules that require fixed-price, lump-sum contracts. A large volume of specific information needs to be compiled for that tender process.
The second reason is that the renovation of the building is one of the projects that has been postponed as a result of budgetary cut-backs. However, the OPW conservation architect John Cahill and its projects manager John McMahon said that the remaining staff occupying the second floor would be asked to vacate in the next few months.
Users of the second floor of the building include political correspondents and RTÉ.
