Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Government's property asset management delivery plan, "Accommodating Change - Measuring Success", was published in July 2013 with the main objective of managing "the Public Service property portfolio in a professional, co-ordinated and efficient manner".

The OPW, with its chairman as the delivery plan’s senior responsible officer, has led these changes across the public service with progress overseen by a steering group. Significant progress has been made and was reported in the final progress report on the public service reform plan 2014-2016 published in July 2017. The utility and further development of outputs will continue long after the reform plan timeframe.

One of the outputs that will require continued maintenance and development is the State property register, which was developed under the delivery plan. It currently has basic details of over 24,000 properties, which are owned or leased by 94 individual organisations including central Government, local government, the HSE and non-commercial State organisations. As recently as March of this year, it indicated there were 92 vacant properties. They were mainly closed Garda stations which are subject to a review that is currently being undertaken by the Policing Authority.

I am reluctant to say that because those properties are vacant they are surplus. There are many uses for which these properties are being sought and could be used in the future. In direct answer to the Deputy's question, that is the figure his question looked for.

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