Written answers
Thursday, 17 July 2025
Department of Public Expenditure and Reform
Vacant Properties
Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context
77. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform for an update on vacant publicly owned buildings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40155/25]
Kevin Moran (Longford-Westmeath, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context
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 vacant or non-operational properties, at any given time, as the portfolio could not function without the flexibility that it provides. Not all surplus vacant properties will be deemed surplus to the State’s requirements or suitable for disposal.
There are currently 74 vacant properties owned or managed by the OPW, consisting of 54 buildings and 20 sites.
The OPW has provided a full list of its surplus vacant properties to the following bodies, so that they could assess them for suitability for social or humanitarian housing purposes or for other State use:
- The Land Development Agency.
- The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
- The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.
- The relevant Local Authority.
- 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.
The OPW’s Policy in managing surplus vacant 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.
A list of the vacant properties is attached at Appendix 1. This does not include those properties that are an intrinsic part of heritage estates or gardens managed by the OPW that are not considered to be surplus to requirements or part of the OPW's disposal programme.
The OPW is only in a position to respond with regard to public buildings that are in the ownership of the Commissioners of Public Works and the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Services, Reform and Digitalisation.
No comments