asked the Minister for Finance if he will make a statement regarding the intentions of the Government to dispose of surplus land and leasehold property; whether any special arrangements have been made in his Department to oversee such a disposal; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Government Property Disposal.
17.
The Government decided in July 1987 that a programme should be devised for the sale of surplus State property and that the receipts therefrom should be used to redeem the national debt.
The Department of Finance, in consultation with the Office of Public Works, established the required programme which is being monitored closely. A total of nearly £5 million was realised in 1988 by way of Exchequer extra receipts. In addition, the 1988 capital allocations to certain State agencies took into account a total of £5.5 million for expected receipts from property sales.
The disposal programme is being continued in 1989 and I have included a figure of £15 million in the budget arithmetic in respect of property sales. In 1989, a further £7 million from sales of property has been included as part of the capital allocations of the Department of Health and the Industrial Development Authority.
As regards leasehold property, the Government have a policy of disposing of leases to the greatest extent possible and of seeking to reorganise Civil Service accommodation to maximise the use of rented office space.
Have the Government considered taking legal advice as to whether it would be possible for them to pass legislation enabling the State to surrender without cost leases which are no longer needed? It seems that there is some room for manoeuvre on that. Secondly, since the Minister has already information on the issue, could he indicate whether part of the Government land disposal would include the Georgian buildings at Upper Merrion Street opposite his Department?
It does include them. They are not included in the figures that are in the budget, but they will be in the programme for 1989.