Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am a Member of this House as well and I take allegations of that nature seriously. Some of them were circulating in the media prior to my appointment as Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW. None of the allegations that have circulated recently is new and many of them are historical. Most have been the subject of internal audits within the OPW. Some do not involve the OPW at all despite being attributed to it.

I have answered questions on Miesian Plaza in the Dáil. The question of how two different measurement standards, for want of a better term, were attached while the lease was being negotiated has been well documented. In the time since my appointment, the OPW has taken a proactive approach to engaging with the property owner on trying to make good, from the public's point of view, our long-term relationship with the owner while acknowledging that the owner has done nothing wrong. Within the next number of weeks, although possibly longer than that, I hope that we might be in a position to bring forward some positive news about a different relationship between the OPW and the property owner.

The Deputy referenced Hammond Lane and the family law courts. The Courts Service, which is a separate entity to us, hopes to move forward with a planning application. The Deputy also referenced the National Children's Science Centre. It is an historical issue that somehow wound up with the OPW. It is part of an arbitration process, so I am limited in what I can say.

Most of what has been raised in media commentary about property management is historical. Some of it does not even relate to the OPW but the OPW has wound up with it and is now dealing with it. Since my appointment, there has been a proactive response by the chairman, the commissioners and the senior staff in the organisation to dealing with legacy issues that have been left to the OPW's current management. I am confident that procedures are in place to ensure such situations cannot arise again. The team in the OPW must ensure safeguards are in place, in particular double-checking and cross-checking, because this is the public's money. We are trying to ensure that we provide good office accommodation for our public services, not only in Dublin but the rest of the country as well, that there is a good blend of owned office and rented office accommodation, and that the organisation has the necessary skill set to do this.

Some of the issues that the Deputy raised have been aired on television or in the broadsheets. I have answered parliamentary questions on most of them. Some have been addressed at the Committee of Public Accounts and others have been addressed on the floor of the Dáil. Some of the issues have been closed out and we are making progress on some of the others.