Mr. Martin Bourke:

On the question of community use, 12 properties have been licensed. On the process that the Office of Public Works uses, we have approximately 2,200 properties that we manage, own or lease. Of those, approximately 90 to 100 would be considered vacant and would be available, whether for community use or any other use. Over 50% of those properties are Garda stations that were closed under the 2012 to 2013 Government plan. They are being held subject to a review being conducted by an Garda Síochána and the Policing Authority so they are not available for ourselves or anybody else until the outcome of that review is known. That is right and proper.

Under certain circumstances we will consider community use if a viable business plan is presented and if the community in question can sustain the building under a licence arrangement. As the Deputy can imagine, over the years we would have had a number of inquiries about the use of properties, although not a huge amount of them. It tends to fall down when the community groups start doing their business plans and realise that if the roof gets blown off in a storm tomorrow, if the property gets flooded or if it would have to take out insurance, they often could not afford to deal with it. If a property is licensed to a group, it must look after it. It must sustain it and it must pay for the electricity and all the utilities that would go with the property. Often when groups confront themselves with that reality the idea becomes problematic for them.

I have been involved with property for a year and a half or two years and in that time we have had the keys of properties handed back to us on a number of occasions. People tell us that they had a very good concept and very good intentions but that the person who was involved has moved on. Things dissipate as they go on. The intention is often very good but we have to be careful that a property which is being used is being protected and cared for. Other than that, often the only logical thing to do with these properties is to sell them. The money then goes back into the Exchequer for use by community groups or other Departments to help communities through the normal funding arrangements.