When I came into office I established that there was a clear need for additional space to address the unsatisfactory office accommodation within the Leinster House complex.
A feasibility study showed that it was possible to develop a building of approximately 8,500 square metres on this site for a budget of £25 million.
The brief, which evolved following further in depth and lengthy assessment of the requirements of Members and staff, determined that the Office of Public Works should develop a building that would be highly flexible in nature to maximise its use now and in the future.
A steering committee was established to oversee the development, chaired by me and comprising of members of the Committee on Procedures and Privileges, Oireachtas management, Office of Public Works officials and officials of the Departments of Finance and the Taoiseach. The committee held its inaugural meeting on 23 November 1997 and further meetings were held on 2 April 1998, 17 June 1998, 8 October 1998, 29 April 1999 and 2 February 2000. At each of these meetings the members were apprised of all issues in relation to this development, that is planning, design, lay outs and building progress. Numerous meetings at a working level involving members of the steering committee and Office of Public Works officials took place at all phases of the development. There were also numerous meetings with the party Whips and party administrators and staff representatives on room allocations, office layouts and other matters. Full and wide-ranging consultative discussions took place throughout the entire development with all users of these offices.
As part of the overall consultative process a sample prototype office was constructed on site and shown to members of the steering committee. The office was also widely viewed by other Oireachtas Members and staff and any observations made, for example, suggestions on furniture configuration, storage facilities, lighting, decoration, etc., were taken on board in refining the design for the final office layout.
Following completion of the building works, the Office of Public Works has continued to provide a help line and personalised service to Members and staff in relation to the new offices and has dealt with the many additional items that Members and staff have requested, that is additional furniture, shelving, notice boards, and individual customising of offices. Information notices advising Members and staff on any outstanding issues and the time frames for dealing with these issues were issued by the Office of Public Works.
Additional InformationA customer satisfaction survey on the overall facilities in Leinster House is currently being conducted. This is evidence of my commitment to consultation with Members and staff in Leinster House.
It should also be recognised that all existing office accommodation in the '32 Annex, five storey building and engineering block was fully upgraded for Members of Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann to a comparable standard to the new annex building during the summer recess 2000. This accommodation was fully refurbished with new heating systems, redecoration, furniture etc. The speed with which this work was undertaken and the quality of workmanship in the refurbishment has attracted much praise. This work and the construction of the new annex building were achieved with minimal disruption to the working arrangements of the Oireachtas, and to those of Members and their staff. The Office of Public Works is to be particularly commended in this regard.
It was originally intended that staff of the Oireachtas would also be accommodated in the new Leinster House annex building, which comprises 8,500 square metres of office space approximately. However, it was decided that all this space would be allocated to Oireachtas Members and staff to maximise the facilities available to them. The staff of the Oireachtas will now be accommodated in Kildare House, as will the Oireachtas crèche and fitness room. Refurbishment work on Kildare House is in planning and will be undertaken this year.
This major project was completed within the budget of £25 million. I am satisfied that, notwithstanding certain industrial relations difficulties experienced by the main contractor which were outside the control of the Office of Public Works, the new building was delivered at the earliest possible date. I am satisfied there was an appropriate level of consultation by the Office of Public Works conducted with Members and their staff at all stages of the project.