Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 September 2020
93. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of vacant desk spaces available in accommodation allocated to his Department in Civil Service accommodation outside Dublin city; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22479/20]
View answerAccommodation for my Department and its Offices is provided by the Office of Public Works (OPW) in buildings which are either State owned or leased by the OPW on our behalf. Typically, the Department and its Offices are in shared accommodation, either with other Government Departments, public bodies or the private sector.
The Department and its Offices are located in 11 locations across the country, six of which are in Dublin and five regionally based in Carlow (113 posts), Cork (6 posts), Ennis (11 posts), Kilkenny (54 posts) and Sligo (10 posts).
The Department works closely with OPW colleagues to ensure the provision of appropriate, fit-for-purpose accommodation for our staff which must be tailored for any services being provided to the public.
The accommodation portfolio typically includes the provision of desk space, training rooms, meeting rooms, public hearing areas, public office areas, canteen facilities, secure onsite file storage, toilets and shower facilities amongst other things. The desk provision to staff must also take into account various working patterns in line with family friendly policies available across the Civil Service.
An important additional factor arising over recent months which impacts on the safe capacity levels of our workplaces in all locations are the social distancing requirements and various safety measures arising due to COVID-19.
Every effort is made to optimise the physical space that is made available to us through the OPW. This is kept under constant review. Given the current circumstances and existing layout of our regional offices there are currently no immediately available vacant desk spaces except for normal staffing turnover levels, which currently sees 6 staff vacancies (3%).
The Offices in Carlow and Kilkenny have the potential for the provision of additional desk capacity if some of the existing physical space in either locations were to be further re-purposed. However this is not a matter that can be done unilaterally by my Department and requires interaction with the OPW given other tenants and local leasehold arrangements. Currently, particularly with COVID-19, there are no plans to reconfigure the available accommodation space in either location for the provision of additional desks.
