The Office of Public Works has received of the order of 700 proposed property solutions in respect of the decentralisation programme. These proposals include offers of sites or existing buildings or proposals to build. The assessment of these proposals is now underway. The main criteria by which they will be evaluated were set out in the advertisement, seeking property solutions, which was placed by the OPW in the newspapers at the end of last year. They are as follows:
1. the proposed cost of the accommodation offered either by way of lease, outright purchase or on a deferred purchase basis; 2. the proposed time scale within which the accommodation can be provided; 3. the quality of the design and specification; 4. the potential for future expansion exhibited by any proposed site or building; 5. the proximity of the site/building to amenities and any available transportation node; 6. the practicality of any car parking proposal submitted in relation to the site/building; and 7. premises should comply where appropriate with all relevant sections of the Health and Safety Acts, the building regulations and the Planning Acts and should be fully accessible to persons with disabilities.