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

I do not disagree with the Deputy. As I stated earlier in my reply, the decisions on whether we lease or build must have regard to several different factors. I referred to two of them, namely the operational requirements of the Departments and agencies. Many of them will come to the table with different and peculiar demands in a short period which we might not be able to fulfil.

Availability of capital over a short period is another factor. When one stacks up the business case, one must decide whether it is proportionate to go one route or another.

I do not disagree with the Deputy that it is more desirable for the Government to own most of the properties on which it depends. It is worth referring to the statistics on the percentage of offices owned versus those rented, as well as those offices in Dublin versus outside of Dublin. I would have thought the figure for offices in Dublin would have been much higher when it is actually 50:50. This is a point we can address from a regional point of view.

The cost benefit of rent versus ownership is a matter that the Department will be coming back to when the current report is finished. When that review is completed, I have no difficulty in sitting down with the Deputy or the new Oireachtas finance committee to go through what is the best course of action to take for our stock of accommodation to meet the demands of our civil and public services.

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