The Office of Public Works (OPW) has insisted it will continue to sell surplus public lands, despite indications in private files that disposals were unlikely in the near future.
Records released under the Freedom of Information Act show that a Commissioner of the OPW, Mr David Byers, played down the possibility of disposals at a meeting on March 12th with the Department of Finance and the Department of the Environment.
The meeting took place a week after the Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, Mr Tom Parlon, revealed plans to sell the OPW's maintenance depot at Ladd Lane off Baggott Street, Dublin. The property is expected to realise up to €15 million.
However, media commentary on that proposal led the Department of Finance to highlight to the OPW "the need for a coherent approach to the disposal of surplus OPW properties" in advance of the meeting on March 12th.
A report on that meeting, released this week by the Department of Finance, said: "Mr Byers began by outlining that the OPW was not ruling out disposal of further sites (in addition to Ladd Lane) but that it was unlikely to seek to dispose of significant amounts of surplus property in the near future because (i) of the general weakness of the commercial property market and (ii) the OPW is deferring any decisions on sites outside the greater Dublin area pending a decision from Government on the issue of decentralisation."
However, Mr Parlon said on April 14th, at the publication of the OPW annual report, that five or six sites of varying sizes had been identified for disposal this year.
An OPW spokeswoman said Mr Parlon's remarks were not at variance with those of Mr Byers because conditions in the property market were continually changing. An audit by the OPW of all its properties was continuing, she said.
The spokeswoman added: "As sites become available and if there isn't a development option for State use, we will be considering what is the most appropriate option, including disposal. That is dependent on the buoyancy of the market."
The files released by the Department of Finance show that it wanted to examine OPW's plans for property disposals and its plans for the use of the proceeds from any sales.
In a letter to Mr Byers on March 6th, an assistant secretary at the Department of Finance, Mr Michael Scanlan, asked for full details of the OPW disposal plan.
Mr Scanlan asked for information on the steps "taken to confirm that none of these properties are essential to the business needs of Government generally" and on how the OPW planned to use the proceeds from any disposals. Last month the Government published plans to develop "affordable housing" schemes on OPW sites at Infirmary Road and Inchicore in Dublin.