Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 July 2022
490. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide details of all properties in cases in which they were leased by State bodies under his aegis; the list of all State bodies under his aegis that are or could be currently acting independently of the OPW to acquire their own property; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41051/22]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that neither my Department nor any of the bodies under its aegis lease accommodation or property independent of the Office of Public Works (OPW).
A key function of the OPW is to provide accommodation for all Government Departments. In this regard, OPW holds a portfolio of property throughout the country to meet the various operational needs of the Civil Service, the Gardaí and various other State Bodies. The OPW’s objective is to hold, manage and maintain a property portfolio that is aligned to Government delivery needs in terms of size, location, specification, value for money and optimum utilisation. The information below lists the buildings leased by the OPW for use as public buildings and includes the associated rent per annum for each building. It should be noted that some of the leases are for specified areas within a building rather than the entire building. The OPW is not in a position to provide data on any leased buildings that may be held by other State bodies where those bodies have entered into an agreement directly with a landlord.
By way of further background information, the Deputy may wish to note that rental expenditure from the OPW Vote in 2021 was €103.3 million. In addition, the OPW recouped almost €15 million from State bodies in respect of rent paid on their behalf. The main core of leased buildings are for the purpose of providing office accommodation for the various Government Departments and their Agencies.
At year-end 2021, the OPW portfolio comprised of the following:
- 541 buildings;
- 341 leases in 285 buildings;
- 256 owned office buildings;
- Total floor area – 890,489 sq m (9,585,143 sq ft);
- 39% Leased - 346,754 sq m (3,732,427 sq ft); and
- 61% Owned – 543,735 sq m (5,852,715 sq ft).
