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

I know this is an area in which the Deputy has much interest and has raised in both the House and the Committee of Public Accounts. The State’s office accommodation portfolio is large and geographically dispersed. It currently comprises 543 buildings of various sizes totalling an estimated 888,000 sq. m of accommodation of which 61%, 542,000 sq. m is in owned buildings with the balance of 39%, 346,000 sq. m leased. Up to 52% of office accommodation is in Dublin with 48% spread throughout the rest of the country.

In managing the portfolio, the OPW actively seeks best value for money in response to requests for accommodation from Departments and State agencies. Decisions taken on whether to lease, build or purchase accommodation have regard to several factors in order the optimum property solution can be achieved in each case. The main factors are the operational requirements of client Departments and agencies, availability of capital for investment, property market trends, availability of sites for development and the timescale within which a solution has to be delivered.

Arising from the 2018 spending review paper on OPW spending on State rents, a follow-on expenditure review is being undertaken by the OPW and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. It is focussing on the balance between capital and current expenditure within the OPW’s estate management function. The review involves research into the current models for providing office accommodation and their long-term costs.

I envisage that the review, when completed, will make a valuable contribution to policy in this area and will provide an enhanced evidence base for managing the State office accommodation portfolio into the future. I expect the review will be completed over the coming months and will be published later this year.

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