Officials from my Department meet with colleagues from the OPW on a regular basis on a wide range of issues. The frequency of these meetings varies but can be as often as several times a day. Due to the large volume and disparate nature of these meetings, I am informed by officials that it would not be practical or feasible to provide a comprehensive list of all meetings between my Department and the OPW since 2016.
However, to be of assistance, please see some examples of meetings that regularly take place in relation to my Department’s estate:
• Meetings take place monthly relating to the deep retrofit of 6 Ely Place Upper. The meetings are chaired by OPW and track progress of the design, build and cost of the project. It is attended by key stakeholders including OPW, architect, quantity surveyor and Department officials. Previously, officials have attended meetings with the OPW about other potential building projects also.
• General accommodation meetings take place as the need arise. These meetings are held between OPW Property Management Accommodation Services and officials from the Department’s Facilities team. The purpose of these meetings is to discuss and monitor ongoing and future accommodation needs for the Department.
• On site meetings are held as required across the Justice estate. They are attended by Department and relevant OPW officials and discuss various maintenance projects, such as building fabric upgrades, mechanical and electrical maintenance, internal improvements, security upgrades, refurbishments, and compliance related works.
In addition, officials from my Department routinely attend meetings with the OPW and officials from the Garda Estate Management unit including:
• Garda Capital Programme Implementation Meeting (Frequency: Quarterly).
• Garda Capital Programme Expenditure Monitoring Meeting (Frequency: Monthly).
• Garda Estate Programme Board (Frequency: Monthly).
• Projects Team meetings* (Frequency: Monthly).
• Steering Group meetings* (Frequency: Monthly).
* These meetings relate to various capital projects.
There are number of other engagements between my Department and the OPW which include the following:
• The OPW host an Annual Interdepartmental Accommodation Network meeting. The purpose is to update and inform Accommodation Officers on new accommodation circulars, compliance related requirements and sustainability / biodiversity matters relating to buildings across the estate.
• Climate Action meetings are held up to two times per year with the OPW to discuss optimising power at work regarding office building energy use.
Engagement between my Department and the OPW also takes place in preparation for certain annual and once off events, for example, the National Ploughing Championships.
Finally, since October of this year, and in the context of planning for the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2026, officials from my Department have met with officials from the OPW on seven occasions to date to discuss the venue and logistical requirements for a range of meetings to be hosted here as part of our Presidency.
