Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 333 and 335 together.

The Office of Public Works (OPW) has responsibility on behalf of the State for managing and maintaining a substantial and complex estate of approximately 2,500 properties.

This extensive and diverse portfolio of State properties includes office accommodation for all Government Departments, the property estate for An Garda Síochána and numerous properties for many State Agencies. The portfolio also encompasses specialised spaces such as public offices, laboratories and cultural institutions, in addition to warehouses, heritage properties, visitor centres and sites.

In any major portfolio, there will always be a certain level of surplus vacant or non-operational properties. It is normal to have an amount of space vacant, or vacant properties, at any given time as the portfolio could not function without the flexibility that it provides. Not all vacant properties will be deemed surplus to the State’s requirements or suitable for disposal.

The OPW, like other State bodies, is obliged to follow central Government policies on the disposal of surplus properties and the arrangements involved are set out in the following Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform (DPENDR) Circulars:

• Circular 11/2015: Protocols for the Transfer and Sharing of State Property Assets
• Circular 17/2016: Policy for Property Acquisition and for Disposal of Surplus Property

As a matter of policy, no property is disposed of until there is absolute certainty that there is no alternative State use for that property.

The OPW’s approach to managing vacant, surplus properties is firstly, to establish if the property is required for alternative State use, including the potential for it to be re-purposed for either Government Departments or the wider public service. A number of strategic properties are retained in anticipation of potential State use/development in line with service demands arising from Government policy changes to public service provision.

Secondly, if no State use is identified, the OPW considers if open market disposal is an option, depending on prevailing market conditions.

Thirdly, 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.

In line with the above policy, the OPW has provided a list of its surplus vacant properties, including former Garda station properties, to the Land Development Agency, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and the relevant Local Authorities so that they could assess them for suitability for social or humanitarian housing purposes or for other State use.

In addition, there are a limited number of sundry residential dwellings that are intrinsic to the estates of parks and gardens as part of the national historic properties managed by the OPW and for that reason would not be appropriate for disposal. In general, these properties are allocated to staff in specific posts, such as Park Superintendents, Deer Keepers, etc. where there is a requirement for them to be present on the ground.

There are currently 52 vacant properties (buildings). Four of these properties are currently sale agreed (Contracts for Sale are executed). A further 16 of these properties are in the process of being transferred to Local Authorities or to other State bodies.

There are also 23 vacant and surplus sites. Six of these sites are either under consideration or in the process of being transferred to Local Authorities or to other State bodies:

A list of the current vacant properties (buildings) (52) and sites (23) and the length of time, if known, that each unit has been vacant is attached at Appendix 1. This does not include those properties that are an intrinsic part of heritage estates or gardens that would not be considered to be surplus to requirements or part of the OPW's disposal programme.

The OPW is not in a position to provide data on any leased buildings that may be held by other State bodies where those bodies have entered into an agreement directly with a landlord.