Kevin Moran (Longford-Westmeath, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The OPW, like other State bodies, is obliged to follow Government policies on the disposal of surplus properties and the arrangements involved are set out in Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform circulars, Circular 11/2015 on protocols for the transfer and sharing of State property assets, and Circular 17/2016 on the policy for property acquisition and disposal of surplus property. The OPW’s policy in managing surplus properties is to establish if the property is required for alternative State use, including the potential for it to be repurposed for Departments or the wider public service. A number of strategic properties are retained in anticipation of potential State use or development in line with service demands arising from Government policy changes to public service provision. If no State use is identified, the OPW considers whether open market disposal is an option, depending on prevailing market conditions. The OPW may consider community involvement, subject to a detailed submission that demonstrates that the community or voluntary group seeking to use the property has the means to insure, maintain and manage it in order to reduce costs to the Exchequer. As a matter of policy, no property is disposed of until it is absolutely certain that there is no alternative State use for that property.

The OPW has disposed of 171 properties over the past ten years, garnering an income of more than €35.5 million for the Exchequer. The breakdown for each of the years 2015 to 2024 is as follows: 28 properties disposed of in 2015 for €3,590,198; 19 properties disposed of in 2016 for €3,338,500; eight properties disposed of in 2017 for €522,500; ten properties disposed of in 2018 for €2,112,011; seven properties disposed of in 2019 for €5,250,500; 22 properties disposed of in 2020 for €2,550,000;-----

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