Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 11 February 2015
17. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number and location of decentralised Departments in Portlaoise, County Laois; and the amounts paid in rent for accommodation between 2004 and 2014 inclusive. [5607/15]
View answerAt present, there are three decentralised locations in Portlaoise leased for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in Portlaoise. The National Council for Curriculum Assessment (NCCA) is also accommodated in Portlaoise. These leases are set out in the following tables.
|
Name and address of Building |
Annual Rent |
|
Unit 11 Clonminham Industrial Estate, Portlaoise (primarily storage for DAFM) |
98,133.16 |
|
Grattan Business Centre, Dublin Road, Portlaoise (2 leases) |
233,650.00 |
|
Eircom Building, Knockmay, Portlaoise (2 leases) |
218,000.00 |
|
TOTAL |
549,783.16 |
The National Council for Curriculum Assessment (NCCA) are also accommodated in Portlaoise as set out on the following table.
|
Name and address of Building |
Annual Rent |
|
2 James Fintan Lawlor Avenue, Portlaoise |
50,000 |
Note : 18 Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine staff are also located in Kilminchy Crescent, Portlaoise at an annual rent of €84,051.49. This location pre-dated decentralisation.
As part of the decentralisation programme, the Office of Public Works (OPW) took seven leases in four buildings in Portlaoise to accommodate 254 Department of Agriculture personnel. At present, there are 207 Department of Agriculture staff in Portlaoise and the bulk of these (182) are in two locations (Grafton Business Centre and the Eircom Building. Seven staff are in Unit 11 Clonminham Industrial Estate which is primarily a records and document storage facility.
The total amount paid in rent for accommodation in Portlaoise on behalf of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine from 2004 – 2014 amounts to €6.4m.
The current annual rental for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine staff in Portlaoise is €633,834.65. €549,783.16 of this relates to the accommodation of decentralised personnel. This rental amount has been reduced from €926,000 approximately.
