Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 22 October 2024

Public Accounts Committee

Appropriation Accounts 2023
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works

2:25 pm

Photo of Catherine MurphyCatherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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We are in a rare position where some money has been spent, but the bulk of it has not. We are in that rare position where a mistake has not been made that we are back here talking about in five years' time. It does not seem that is the approach being taken here, given the legal advice, how the legal advice was followed, how the OPW is on the hook and that there is no sponsoring Department. It is not in the national development plan. There is no money committed to this by a Department or by the Government. This is daft. I will move on as I have a number of other questions.

I want to stray if Mr. Conlon does not have the responses to these. However, Deputy Kelly asked were there any other issues that should come to light. One issue concerns accommodation, which was supposed to be on Military Road, where the Garda’s Scott House is now located. That moved from Harcourt Square, which they had to vacate. Harcourt Square could accommodate more gardaí. My understanding is that there are two units of the Garda that could not be accommodated in the new facility but are being accommodated in Clyde House where the OPW was leasing a building. If Mr. Conlon does not have the information to hand, he might come back to the committee with the cost of that lease. The other thing is that when they had to vacate, they had to be accommodated somewhere. One of the units was accommodated in a building in St. Stephen's Green that had to be fitted out. They subsequently moved from that. Will he provide us with the fit-out costs?

The other issue concerns Drury Street carpark, where I understand some parking spaces were set aside or leased for the time they were in that building. Will he come back to us with the cost of those?