847. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the number of State-owned properties currently vacant in counties Wicklow and Wexford; their locations and the duration of vacancy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57799/26]

I am advised by the Office of Public Works (OPW) that there are no surplus vacant properties in County Wexford that are owned or managed by the OPW.

The former Garda station at Hollywood, County Wicklow is the only surplus vacant property in County Wicklow that is in the ownership of the Commissioners of Public Works (OPW). The former Garda station closed in 2013 as part of An Garda Síochána’s Rationalisation Programme and the property was prepared for disposal, in accordance with the OPW’s disposals’ policy.

The OPW, like other State bodies, is obliged to follow central Government policies on the disposal of surplus properties and the arrangements involved are set out in the following Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) Circulars:

• Circular 11/2015: Protocols for the Transfer and Sharing of State Property Assets

• Circular 17/2016: Policy for Property Acquisition and for Disposal of Surplus Property

As a matter of policy, no property is disposed of until there is absolute certainty that there is no alternative State use for that property.

The OPW’s Policy in managing surplus vacant properties is firstly, to establish if the property is required for alternative State use, including the potential for it to be re-purposed for either Government Departments or the wider public service. A number of strategic properties are retained in anticipation of potential State use/development in line with service demands arising from Government policy changes to public service provision.

Secondly, if no State use is identified, the OPW considers if open market disposal is an option, depending on prevailing market conditions.

Thirdly, the OPW may consider community involvement, subject to a detailed submission that demonstrates that the community or voluntary group seeking to use the property has the means to insure, maintain, and manage it in order to reduce costs to the Exchequer.

The policy of the OPW is that a property will only be disposed of when it has been established with absolute certainty that there is no alternative State requirement for it with the initial phase of the disposal process focusing on identifying an alternative State use for each vacant and surplus property.

The OPW circulates details of surplus and vacant properties to the following bodies, so that they can be assessed for suitability for social or humanitarian housing purposes or for other State use:

• The Land Development Agency

• The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

• The Department of Children, Disability and Equality

• The relevant Local Authority

Details of each surplus and vacant property are also circulated to other Central Government Departments, such as the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, the Department of Education and Youth and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science as well as other State bodies such as the Health Service Executive.

As individual departments and bodies require time to consider each building or site; to ascertain if the property meets their requirements and if the necessary funds would be available to finance an acquisition, this can be a lengthy process.

A number of State bodies have considered acquiring the former Garda station at Hollywood but an alternative State use has yet to be identified for the property. There are a number of complex title issues associated with the former Garda station which the OPW, in conjunction with the Chief State Solicitor’s Office, is currently working on. When these have been resolved, and if it is confirmed that there is no alternative State requirement for the property, the former Garda station at Hollywood will be prepared for disposal on the open market.