THERE ARE OVER 200 state-owned buildings lying empty across Ireland, new figures have shown.
The Minister of State for the Office of Public Works Brian Hayes revealed the figures to the Dáil on Wednesday in response to a question from Fine Gael’s John Deasy.
In his response, Hayes said that most of the state’s holding was comprised of now-defunct garda stations.
“The majority of vacant state-owned properties are comprised of the recently closed Garda stations that are no longer required for operational reasons.
The remainder consist of customs posts, coastguard stations and sundry other properties.
Dublin leads the way in terms of disused buildings, with 36, while Cork, Kerry and Galway follow with 19, 15 and 13 respectively.
Carlow has the fewest empty buildings with just one.
Minister Hayes said that the Commissioners of Public Works were examining the the options open to them in relation to the buildings.
This assessment will include other potential State uses for the properties. If and when properties are considered surplus to requirements, the Commissioners will consider options, including disposal on the open market and where applicable, viable local proposals.
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