asked the Minister for Finance if information on buildings and sites in the ownership of his Department, their locations, uses and the future plans for them, are in any or all respects contained within his Department in a computer based system; if he will indicate whether a comprehensive easily accessible list exists; if such information is not readily available to him, the way in which it is possible for him to make judgments, evaluations or decisions about effective use of public resources in their respect; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Department Property.
80.
Work began in 1983 on setting up a computer based property portfolio of all the properties held by the Commissioners of Public Works or the Minister for Finance. A fully integrated system will be operational early next year and will accelerate the process whereby data, required to ensure the optimum use of property, is made available to management and will achieve substantial savings in staff time. A considerable amount of work has gone into its introduction as the task is a major undertaking, involving assembly, correlation and checking of detailed information on more than 4,000 properties. I am satisfied that, pending completion of the computerised system, the information required in regard to any particular aspect of property management is available but this may involve the deployment of significant and scarce staff resources.