James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Question 167: To ask the Minister for Finance if he will report on the proposed move of the Office of Public Works staff from their location in St. Stephen's Green, Dublin 2; the location to which it is proposed that the OPW staff will relocate in Dublin; if a deal has been agreed; if so the persons who are the landlords or owners of the building; the terms agreed; the fit-out cost in the proposed new location for OPW staff; the number of OPW staff who have refused to decentralise to Trim, County Meath; if he will confirm the original and current owners or landlords of the new OPW office and premises in Trim; the terms agreed on that premises; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43841/08]

Martin Mansergh (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)
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The Office of Public Works (OPW) is due to decentralise 525 posts to three locations under the current decentralisation programme. The Minister of State and 333 posts will move to Trim, the new location of the OPW HQ. The OPW HQ is currently based in 51 St. Stephen's Green, Dublin 2. Some 104 posts will move to Claremorris, and the moving of 88 posts to Kanturk is deferred pending a review in 2011. 525 posts represents the majority of OPW Dublin-based personnel, and, as the OPW is not decentralising in its entirety, there will be a number of personnel remaining in Dublin.

OPW is currently reviewing its options regarding accommodation for those staff remaining in Dublin, and no decision has yet been taken on this issue. The construction of OPW's new headquarters in Trim, which is located on a site purchased from the Local Authority, is due for completion in the second quarter of 2009. The estimated cost of expenditure to date on this project is in the region of €19,377,206. The advance office in Trim is accommodated in a leased building for a period of 3 years at a cost of €67,752 per annum, and expenditure to date on this office is of the order of €110,752.