Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 69: To ask the Minister for Transport the plans he has to improve the accommodation within his Department in view of the significant level of dissatisfaction with same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46453/08]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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My Department was established in 2002 and since then it has experienced significant functional and staffing change that has contributed to the present situation whereby the Department's staffing complement of approximately 450 Dublin-based staff is dispersed in six locations.

This level of dispersal has posed considerable operational difficulties in the delivery of a satisfactory standard of accommodation in all cases. A more cohesive accommodation structure is therefore considered essential to address these difficulties. For this reason my Department, in conjunction with the Office of Public Works, has devised detailed plans to consolidate and reduce the number of buildings it currently occupies in Dublin from six to three.

These plans are at an advanced stage and it is envisaged that this consolidation will be achieved by the end of 2009. With a fewer number of buildings to manage, my Department will also be able to take a more focused and cost effective approach to the delivery of maintenance and improvement works in the future.

In addition to progressing the rationalisation of the Department's accommodation portfolio, my Department has in the past year carried out a number of miscellaneous office improvement schemes such as office layout. It is planned to deliver a series of other improvements in the coming years with the assistance of the OPW. The basic objective of these schemes is to ensure that working conditions are to an acceptable standard.