THE HSE HAS spent just over €3 million refurbishing its headquarters in Dublin over the last five years.
Figures released to TheJournal.ie under the Freedom of Information Act show the expenditure during this period includes about €1.3 million on basement refurbishment in 2016, €92,581 on canteen renovations in 2015 and over €550,000 on pitched roof maintenance in 2014.
A spokesperson said: “The main expenditure was on reconfiguring the basement in the building to accommodate offices and a suite of meeting rooms. Other significant projects completed in this period include the refurbishment/upgrade of the staff canteen and the installation of more cost-effective lighting.”
The HSE’s headquarters is located at Dr Steevens’ Hospital, a listed building close to Heuston Railway Station.
Here’s a breakdown of how much was spent annually during the last five-year period:
Just over €1.3 million was spent in 2013 and 2014, including:
‘Value for money’
In a further statement to TheJournal.ie, the HSE said: “Dr Steevens’ provides approximately 110,000 sq ft of office accommodation for the HSE in a city centre location. The cost of leasing such accommodation in Dublin city at the moment would be somewhere between €4.5 million and €9.5 million per annum, with a further once off fit-out cost of between €11 million and €16 million.
The investment in the building in the last 18 months was to provide additional office space and meeting rooms in the basement of the building. Without this investment further space would have to be leased in the vicinity. The recent expenditure on the building represents value for money for the State.
“Dr Steevens’ is a listed building and the HSE is obliged (enforceable by the planning authorities) to preserve the building in its present condition. There are costs associated with maintaining historic buildings.”
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