Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Question 744: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has considered the provision of a new office building in Portlaoise, County Laois, for his Department staff in view of the large number of staff who have transferred to the town and are located in several different locations throughout Portlaoise, as such a proposal would make economic sense; if he will discuss this matter with the Office of Public Works and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26671/12]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department, in conjunction with the Office of Public Works, has engaged in a review of the Department's accommodation needs in Portlaoise with a view to consolidating our accommodation footprint in the town. Following on from this review, the Office of Public Works recently submitted proposals to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform setting out options for consolidation. These options are now being considered by that Department.

In reviewing our accommodation needs my Department's overriding objective is the redeployment of staff so as to reintegrate business areas that have been split between different locations and, in so far as possible, to co-locate different business areas that have cross-over functions or can exploit any existing operational synergies from such co-location. This makes for much greater flexibility and efficiency if we use our own resources. In addition, significantly reducing the number of my Department's locations in Portlaoise will accrue substantial savings to the Exchequer.