THE DEPARTMENT OF Health increased spending on security at its empty former headquarters at Hawkins House amid concerns the building could be occupied by homelessness protesters. 

The Department spent more than €285,000 guarding Hawkins House after moving to new offices in July 2018. 

The security bill for the building complex continued to run up in the months after department staff decamped to their new headquarters at Miesian Plaza on Baggot Street.

The Department said that 24-hour security needed to be in place amid concerns the building would be taken over by homeless protesters.

They said there was also some technical infrastructure in Hawkins House that had to be maintained until the building could be handed over to the Office of Public Works, who have now taken full responsibility for it.

The monthly bills for security rose in the months after the Department left from €20,422 in August 2018 as high as €29,763 that December.

The Department’s final bill for security at the empty Hawkins House came to €285,996 over the course of an eleven-month period.

In a statement, a spokeswoman said: “In order to support the efficient move to Miesian Plaza it was necessary to have a period of time when infrastructure and certain contracts were maintained through the transition.”

She said the main move had taken place over two weekends in July 2018 but that some technical infrastructure was not “finally decommissioned” until June of the following year.

The spokeswoman added: “In addition, the Department was informed by An Garda Síochána that they had intelligence regarding an imminent occupation in the building following a similar situation in Apollo House next door.

“This resulted in a decision to extend the security guard presence to the building to 24/7.”

Miesian Plaza 

The Department said all existing service and energy bills, pest control, cleaning of reception and car park areas have now transferred to the Office of Public Works.

The demolition of the Hawkins House building – widely considered to be one of Dublin’s ugliest buildings – is due to take place next year.

Details of other costs incurred by the department also show that they spent just over €20,000 on pest control services in Hawkins House in the year that they left.

However, the Department said the majority of this expenditure had been incurred while staff were in situ with only a €475 bill from the time the building was empty.

As part of the move, just over €555,000 was spent on laptops and a further €88,129 on new phones, according to official records.

The Department said 410 new laptops with monitors and docking stations had been purchased for use by staff of all grades when they switched to Miesian Plaza.

They said new internet enabled desk phones as well as related licencing had also been bought for staff as part of the move.

Ongoing bills relating to their new headquarters have included between €26,834 and €35,857 a month in cleaning costs, and over €20,000 a month for electricity.

Other costs incurred were bathroom facility fitout of €26,049, crockery and canteen equipment of €29,778, and a furniture bill for €426,994.

The move to the new headquarters has not gone without hitches and the department canteen is currently out of operation.

A damning report by the Comptroller and Auditor General also found that €14.1 million in rent and service costs were run up between December 2016 and April 2018 while the building was still entirely unoccupied.

Delays in the move were caused by difficulties over agreeing the layout of the offices, particularly around how many staff would be accommodated, meeting rooms, and open plan spaces.

Even when they did finally move, space was at a premium with no room for expansion or the full complement of staff from the Department of Children, who also joined them at Miesian Plaza.

Due to “confusion” in the signed contract over how floor space was calculated, between €9.5 and €10.5 million has also been added to the cost of the lease over its 25-year lifetime.