Circular 1 of 2025 was published by the Department of Public Expenditure Infrastructure Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (DPER) on the 2nd January 2025. This Circular outlines the arrangements and responsibilities for the management and maintenance of State accommodation in Government Departments and Offices. The circular is available online at: assets.gov.ie/static/documents/dpendr-circular-012025-management-and-maintenance-of-accommodation-in-government-depar.pdf
This Circular replaces DPER Circular 1 of 2013 and applies to all accommodation where the Office of Public Works is the legal owner, tenant, lessee or licensee. This Circular takes account of a growing Civil and Public Service with increased demands, and also takes into account the changing economic and political environments, including new policies on blended working.
As described under this Circular, the OPW is responsible for acquiring accommodation and managing space allocation based on accommodation briefs from clients. The OPW clients are responsible for the ongoing day-to-day management and efficient use of their space allocation and will advise the OPW if their space allocation is underutilised including proactively engaging with the OPW on the reallocation of space for alternative purposes.
As part of this new Circular, OPW clients are obliged to submit an annual return to the OPW with occupant numbers, workstation numbers, methodology of information capture, staff attendance numbers, utilisation, and functions within their allocated space. The returns in respect of 2025 are due by the end of January 2026 and the OPW will assess the responses in terms of data maturity and consistency. Subject to the refinement of the process, and consultation with the OPW client base, the OPW will seek to publish information in 2027, or as soon as meaningful and comparable information is available in a consistent manner, in accordance with the C & AG report. This will be done in consultation with the Civil Service Management Board.
Between 2015 and 2024, the number of full time equivalent (FTE) civil servants employed in Ireland increased by 45%. The total area of office accommodation managed, as reported by the OPW, decreased by 1% in the same period. The office space per civil servant has decreased significantly from a level of 24.2 square meters in 2015 to 16.4 square meters in 2024.
During 2023, and building on a series of pre-covid surveys, the OPW began a new programme occupancy surveys to identify how space is being used by clients since the widespread adoption of blended working. Over 200,000 square metres was surveyed nationally, which represents approximately one quarter of the office accommodation portfolio. The observed occupancy in these buildings varied significantly with some buildings operating in excess of 65% utilisation when visited by the team.
The OPW will continue to work with its clients to assess and validate information that is available through the occupier return forms, and will identify additional opportunities for consolidation and optimum usage across the portfolio while ensuring the operational requirements of government can be accommodated.
