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

I can get that confirmed momentarily but, off the top of my head, the last time I checked before answering questions in the Dáil it was of the order of 38 buildings. I will confirm that for the Deputy. There are issues relating to title in respect of a number of properties. For example, many previously owned Garda stations that may have come into the care of An Garda Síochána prior to the foundation of the State came from estates that were untitled. Now that we are trying to dispose of them, in some cases to private individuals or local authorities, we are finding there are issues relating to title in the case of a small number of properties.

There are a number of others though with which there are no issues associated. I have stated previously and will use the opportunity again to state that the lack of engagement of some local authorities in taking disused properties from us has been quite disappointing. However, some have been very good - Leitrim and Roscommon are two that come to mind straight away - in terms of these being used as local assets. For others, where disused properties have been in their areas, the response has been disappointing. That leaves us with the option, if there is not a viable community use, of putting them up for public auction, which we have done recently. The most recent one that was sold, which was in Deputy Durkan's constituency, in Kildare, has accrued a substantial amount of money above and beyond what we would even have estimated for it. I would much prefer to be in a situation where an existing public body would take these from us, as they ultimately are public assets, but I do not want them acting as a blight in the hearts of villages and towns all across Ireland, in terms of Tidy Towns marks and everything else. It is time to move on with this. The instruction that I have given to my team in the OPW, which, in fairness, has accelerated it and which has done a really good job on it, is that disposal is the last option. Unfortunately, it is being proffered in a number of cases at present.