Mr. Mark Kane:

I will answer the first part and then hand over to my colleagues for the question on long-term position. Deputy Durkan is correct. The HSE has brought a number of its older buildings back into use. I cannot ignore that this is a Roh-Fab building and the fact that it was envisaged to have a lifetime of 40 to 50 years. We are now at the outer end of that and the building, in the context of its fabric and structure, has reached the end of its useful life. We have workhouse buildings that were constructed using cut-stone granite. These are much more robust and have greater longevity and that is why they are being reinvested in. We can invest in them with a level of certainty. Unfortunately, when I look at documents such as the climate action plan, I will not be able to bring a Roh-Fab building in line with current climate action requirements, as outlined by the Government. A significant amount of the mechanical and electrical system are at their end of useful life, as independently confirmed for us.

When you look at Owenacurra Centre in the round and consider the unacceptable deficiencies in the accommodation with 7.5 m2 bedrooms that do not have en suites, the level of investment that would be needed in order to bring the building fabric and the mechanical and electrical elements to a reasonable standard, the age of the building, how it was constructed and the fact that it is beyond the end of its useful life the restricted size of the site, all the essential systems, such as those relating to heating, electrics, etc., being at their end of useful life and the premises falling short in terms of what is needed, those are the considerations that probably set Owenacurra Centre apart from some of the other buildings Deputy Durkan quite rightly refers to that are even older but that we have invested in. I will hand over, maybe to Mr. Fitzgerald and colleagues, for the second part.