Dáil Éireann Debate, Monday - 9 September 2024
452. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if he will examine establishing a programme to refit empty Garda stations and repurpose them as affordable accommodation for essential workers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35912/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Office of Public Works (OPW) has responsibility on behalf of the State for managing and maintaining a substantial and complex estate of approximately 2,500 properties.
This extensive and diverse portfolio of State properties includes office accommodation for all Government Departments, the property estate for An Garda Síochána and numerous properties for many State Agencies. The portfolio also encompasses specialised spaces such as public offices, laboratories and cultural institutions, in addition to warehouses, heritage properties, visitor centres and sites.
The provision of suitable accommodation for essential workers does not fall within the remit of the OPW as the responsibility for housing rests with the local authorities and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
However, the OPW has actively engaged with other State agencies and provided a list of its surplus vacant properties to the Land Development Agency, each relevant local authority, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, so that they could assess them for suitability for housing or humanitarian purposes or for other State use.
Many of the vacant properties in the OPW portfolio were deemed unsuitable for residential use following assessment by the various agencies because they are older stock that would require significant investment to comply with current regulations for residential use, or are located in rural areas without the necessary services and supports.
The OPW has in the past five years transferred over 50 properties to local authorities for alternative State/community use.
