Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

There is a continuous review of what we have in unoccupied and what is being re-occupied. It is ongoing. The excess in 2016 was for Miesian Plaza. That would have been met by savings on the Vote. There were additional lease requirements for Miesian Plaza of €8.4 million. Leases are being surrendered as well. It is an ongoing process. We cannot say that we have it right at a particular time because leases are coming up for renewal and running out and so on.

There is increased demand for space. The OPW is striving to secure that space as well as to utilise the space that it has in a better way. I referred in the report to how savings have been made of €130 million in that process alone. That is not finished. It is a continuous process through which we are looking to deliver the best value in terms of whether we should be renting or building. In the past ten years because of the lack of funding, not much building work took place, so we have been leasing. Now, we are looking to the future to see what we can do in terms of building more.