Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There are several examples in this regard. We are now working with the Department of Education and Skills in procuring sites for schools. Another example is that previously every Department looked after its own maintenance. We have been asked to take on that €20 million budget and do the work ourselves, which has released more than 100 people back into Departments because they are no longer engaged in transactions with us. Another benefit is that it allows us greater control in terms of prioritisation. A Department might have been happy, for instance, to buy carpets and wallpaper, but we are more interested in roofs and windows. As I outlined, the largest saving this year is in the rent bill. We are two years ahead of budget in getting it under €100 million - it is now €97.5 million where previously it was €135 million. This was achieved by getting out of leases, making sure we moved people up in the bed in terms of requirements in respect of public buildings and that where we were using these facilities, we were getting maximum use out of the space available. These are some of the savings that have been achieved as a result of the actions we took in the past year.