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

The chairman is the organisation's Accounting Officer and is answerable to the Oireachtas. I am not the Accounting Officer. The day-to-day operation and management of the organisation are matters for the Accounting Officer. He has been before the Committee of Public Accounts dealing with, in particular, the steps that have been taken as regards valuations. In the immediate aftermath of the Miesian Plaza issue, he answered questions on how there were two different measurement standards to ensure that cross-checking could be brought into force and how that was being reinforced within the organisation. More has been done to beef things up.

From our point of view as an organisation, we must take the public's trust seriously. The OPW has a very strong brand, not only in terms of the flood alleviation work that we do in the Deputy's constituency and other constituencies, but in providing accommodation across the country. We maintain 2,500 properties on behalf of the State. There have been issues with a very small number of those - I believe the Deputy identified five. We have a portfolio in every town and village in Ireland amounting to 2,500 properties. Invariably, we will have issues relating to vacant properties and so on, but we have shrunk them down to a handful. That is still too many, though, and we will reduce the number even further.