Peadar Tóibín
Question:
464. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total landholding of his Department, broken down by county, including the amount currently unused or vacant, the portion zoned for development, and the number of sites that include vacant or derelict properties. [47628/26]
View answer
The information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.
The following deferred reply was received under Standing Orders.
Lands held directly by my Department for heritage purposes comprise approximately 90,000 hectares, together with a number of offices owned by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) used for administrative purposes. These lands are actively managed and used for heritage, biodiversity and nature conservation purposes. In addition, there may be land surrounding or adjacent to National Monuments in order to ensure their protection, conservation and preservation, or to meet operational requirements. As such, these heritage assets are not considered suitable for development.
The information requested in relation to a county-by-county breakdown of these landholdings, the amount of land that is currently unused or vacant, and the number of sites containing vacant or derelict properties is not held centrally in the format requested.
In addition, office accommodation used by Departmental staff within my Department’s main locations such as Custom House, Wexford, Ballina and North King Street are provided to the Department by the Office of Public Works (OPW).
