Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 February 2005
34 Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Finance if he will report on progress to date on the decentralisation of Departments, including the location of sites acquired and the amount spent thus far on acquisition of properties outside Dublin for this purpose; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2598/05]
View answerThe Office of Public Works has been given primary responsibility for delivering the property aspects of the decentralisation programme and I can confirm that considerable progress has been made in this regard. The tasks facing OPW include the following: the sourcing of property solutions at the various locations concerned which mainly involves the acquisition of development sites; the procurement of accommodation solutions to the office and facility requirements of the Departments and agencies involved; the rationalisation and consolidation of the use of Dublin office space, both owned and leased, following decentralisation; and the management of the disposal of surplus Dublin office accommodation.
In late December 2003, the OPW placed advertisements in the national press seeking expressions of interest from those willing to provide either suitable good quality modern offices, either existing or under construction, and suitable sites with planning permission or appropriate planning zoning which would facilitate the construction of new office buildings.
Following the requests for property proposals, the Office of Public Works received in excess of 700 proposed property solutions in regard to the decentralisation programme scheduled for the various locations around the country. Detailed evaluation of these proposals has been undertaken and, as already stated, the Office of Public Works has made significant progress in sourcing possible sites at the locations concerned.
The evaluation process involves the following three-strand approach: one, an architectural assessment by OPW architects; two, a valuation process undertaken by both OPW and private sector valuers; and, three, an assessment by reference to the business needs and staff requirements of each decentralising Department-agency.
A broad range of factors will influence the cost of acquiring sites and these include proximity of the site to commercial, leisure and educational facilities; proximity to public transport; access to and from a good quality road network; zoning for development; and the prevailing property market conditions in each geographical area will also have a significant bearing on land acquisition costs.
To date, 11 property solutions have been agreed in principle and a further 20 plus locations are at an advanced stage in the acquisition process. I can also confirm that the balance of the sites for the remaining locations in the programme are being proactively pursued by the OPW.
The locations where solutions have been identified are as follows: Carlow, Longford, Newcastle West, Athlone, the Curragh, Sligo, Dundalk, Furbo, Killarney, Donegal and Trim. In regard to Carlow, Longford and Newcastle West, the Chief State Solicitor is processing contract documents in respect of sites and it is expected that the associated acquisition phase will be completed as quickly as possible. State-owned land will accommodate the decentralised buildings scheduled for Athlone, the Curragh, and Sligo, while the proposed location of the Dundalk building will be on land at the Dundalk Institute of Technology. It is proposed to locate the staff relating to Furbo in an extension to an existing building. To date, approximately €100,000 has been expended on contract of sale deposits in relation to Newcastle West and Longford. The total acquisition expenditure in relation to these sites and all other sites, which are at an advanced stage in the acquisition process, will fall to be paid over the coming months.
The prevailing property market conditions in each geographical area will have a significant bearing on the cost of acquiring sites. In the circumstances and taking into account that the acquisition contracts are not yet finalised, it is not possible at this stage to provide a precise estimate of the cost of the site acquisition programme.
