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

I am replying on behalf of my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Moran. The OPW manages more than 2,500 properties on behalf of the State. These include office accommodation, heritage properties, visitor centres, Garda stations, warehouses and others. An Garda Síochána is responsible for assigning residences to gardaí in line with its policing plans. The OPW disposes of Garda stations or Garda residences only when An Garda Síochána confirms that they are surplus to its requirements. At present, 96 buildings are vacant. Over half of them, 51, are Garda stations that were closed under the 2012-2013 policing plans of An Garda Síochána. In an interim report of the Policing Authority, six stations were identified for reopening. These were Ballinspittle, County Cork; Bawnboy, County Cavan; Donard, County Wicklow, Leighlinbridge, County Carlow; Rush, County Dublin; and Stepaside, County Dublin. A further review by the Garda Inspectorate was published in December 2018. The OPW will be engaging with An Garda Síochána on the outcome of the review.

Of the remaining 45 properties that are vacant at present, a number are in the process of being transferred to local authorities, being considered or prepared for disposal, under consideration for community use or being retained for alternative State use. In addition to the closed Garda stations, there are sundry dwellings or lodges that are part of national parks and gardens around the country and are managed by the Office of Public Works. In general, these dwellings or lodges are for staff who have to be present day or night, for example, park rangers, deer keepers, security personnel and so on. In other cases, they have been licensed for use as tea rooms, visitor services on heritage sites or for use by the Irish Landmark Trust. At present, a small number of these are vacant because they are in poor condition and not habitable from a health and safety or security viewpoint.

The provision of social, affordable and emergency residential accommodation is a function of the local authorities and the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government. Properties owned or managed by the OPW are primarily commercial offices, Garda stations, warehouses or others that are not suited to residential use. However, the OPW has actively engaged with the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government in providing information on any non-operational, vacant properties the OPW owns. That Department then assesses those properties in terms of what might be suitable for residential use. The OPW has also engaged with the Land Development Agency on any suitable land in its ownership.

As a matter of course, the OPW provides information on its non-operational properties to the relevant authorities or housing agencies for assessment. In the last two years, this process has identified a number of properties as being feasible for adaption for residential use. These include eight units in Dublin city centre that were transferred to Dublin City Council for use by the Peter McVerry Trust; and a property in Crumlin that is now licensed to Dublin City Council for use as a family hub. A further 15 properties are being considered in terms of their potential for investment and adaptation for social housing. These include seven properties and one site that are under consideration by Cork County Council; five properties that are under consideration by Tipperary County Council; and three properties that are under consideration by Limerick City and County Council. The OPW regularly contacts local authorities and other State bodies before it decides to sell on the open market.

The Senator specifically mentions a property in Blarney. I can confirm that a retired member of An Garda Síochána occupied this property until June 2012. In August 2017, the property was offered to Cork County Council under the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform protocols for the transfer and sharing of State property assets. The OPW was told in September 2017 that the council did not wish to buy the property. The contracts for sale for the property are ready and this property, along with a number of other surplus properties and sites, will be disposed of in 2019.

Historically, in the paper environment, lands held by Ministers, State bodies and local authorities were entered on a single folio per owner per county. In the modern digital environment, it is more practical and efficient to open a single folio for each property or title. This represents the current practice of the Property Registration Authority, PRA. Subject to resources, the PRA has been separating these older folios into single digital folios. I trust that the above satisfies the Senator’s query. I will bring any other matter he wishes to raise to the attention of the Minister of State, Deputy Moran.