Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 December 2025
67. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the costs of maintaining scaffolding that has been positioned around the dome of the Four Courts for the past number of years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70373/25]
View answerThe repair of the Four Courts Dome is a complex conservation project which has been undertaken in two phases. The repair works to the Dome became and urgent requirement after a section of one of the stone capitals, which support the Dome, fell onto the roof below. The OPW immediately undertook a first phase of very detailed investigations and surveys of the entire Dome of the Four Courts and urgent repairs. For this first phase of works, from 2015 to 2021, the Office of Public Works entered into a specific contract for the design, erection, maintenance and regular redesign and alteration of the scaffolding structure as inspection, assessment and urgent repair requirements developed and progressed. The total direct cost of the scaffolding was €1,444,379.67 ex VAT.
Based on these investigations, and the external professional assessments undertaken, it was deemed essential that most of the stone capitals be replaced or repaired, as deemed necessary and that the perimeter steel support band be replaced. A second phase of major conservation and repairs was developed.
The Four Courts Dome Final Phase of Repairs - Main Contract was awarded in June 2023. This contract incorporated the provision of custom-designed scaffold access and structural propping to the entire Dome drum. The stone capitals have either been repaired or replaced, depending upon their structural condition. 18 top stone capitals and 16 bottom stone capitals have been replaced and 3 top stone capitals and 5 bottom stone capitals have been repaired. The perimeter steel support band has also been replaced. The tender award sum of the stone capitals carving contract was €626,800.00 (ex VAT). The tender award sum of the main works contract was €4,498,781.21 (ex VAT). The scaffolding works requirements are included in the overall works requirements and are not contracted, charged nor paid for separately. Contractor pricing of individual elements of a tender is commercially sensitive information and cannot be released.
It is anticipated that the works will be substantially completed by end of January 2026.
