Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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624. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to provide a list of all unused properties, lands and buildings, under the ownership or control of his Department within County Kerry; the length of time they have been idle; the plans in place, if any, for future use; if these unused properties, lands and buildings can be used for affordable and social housing and low cost sites; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45188/25]

Kevin Moran (Longford-Westmeath, Independent)
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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.

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 and Reform (DPER) 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

The OPW’s Policy in 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.

Responsibility for social and affordable housing rests with the local authorities and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.  The OPW, like other property holding State bodies, has been engaging with the Department and with the relevant local authorities to identify vacant properties that may be suitable.

It should be noted however that many of the properties managed by the OPW are commercial buildings, such as Garda stations, warehouses or office buildings that are not suitable for residential use.

Notwithstanding this, the OPW has in the past five years transferred over 50 properties to local authorities for housing and alternative State use. This includes the following:

• Eight residential units in Dublin City Centre that were leased to the Peter McVerry Trust.
• A building in Crumlin, Dublin licensed to Dublin City Council for use as a Family Hub.
• Seven former Garda residences in Templemore transferred to Tipperary County Council for social housing.
• Two former Garda station properties at Goleen and Adrigole transferred to Cork County Council for social housing.
• Three former Garda station properties at Galbally, Shanagolden and Mayorstone transferred to Limerick City and County Council for social housing.
• The former Garda station properties at Buncrana and Malin transferred to Donegal County Council for social housing.
• The former Garda station at Inagh transferred to Clare County Council for the use of Inagh Housing Association.
• A site at the rear of Ballinasloe Garda station, which transferred to Galway County Council for the provision of social housing.
• The former Garda station at Kill O’The Grange, Dublin transferred to Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council for a social housing scheme.

• The former Central Mental Hospital, Dundrum to be transferred to the Land Development Agency for housing.
• Seven former coastguard cottages and a site at Crosshaven in the process of being transferred to Cork County Council for the refurbishment of the seven cottages and the construction of 24 new residential social houses.
• A property at Carrigrohane, Cork City is in the process of being leased to Cork City Council for housing purposes and the Commissioners are also in the process of entering into a Lease Agreement with Donegal County Council for the former Garda station at Cloghan, Co. Donegal.

There are seven properties in County Kerry that are currently vacant and in the ownership of the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation or the Commissioners of Public Works (CPW). Details of these properties, and the length of time where known that each has been vacant, are set out below: