Safety in The Building
A commissioned report delivered to the Ceann Comhairle's office (chairman's office) in 2008 cast serious doubts on the safety of the main former ducal palace without major remedial work. Outlining a risk to the "personal safety of occupants", the "personal health of occupants" and the "safety and health of the public" it outlined nine serious risks to the building, due to a combination of factors, including:
- the age of the building
- renovations over the centuries to the ducal palace made by its various owners which were substandard
- significant overloading of floors on upper levels
- inadequate and outdated wiring
If repairs were not carried out it outlined as a worst case scenario "The facility is damaged/contaminated beyond habitable use. Most items/assets are lost, destroyed or damaged beyond repair/restoration."
The Irish government opted not to close the former ducal palace for immediate renovation (partly due to cost and partly due to the difficulty the Oireachtas would have in functioning, given that the former ducal palace is a central point through which members and staff have to travel to access other parts of the complex). Instead an ongoing process of renovation was commenced, with the upper floor of the former ducal palace cleared of journalists (it had been the base for many) due to the floor's overloading. The journalists previously based on that floor were moved to parliamentary offices outside the complex on Molesworth Street.
Read more about this topic: Leinster House
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—Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936)