Office of Public Works Priorities and Progress: Statements Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-19 ============================================================ Aubrey McCarthy (IND), University of Dublin I thank the Minister of State for being here today. I am happy to contribute to the important statements on the Office of Public Works. It is an organisation whose work touches communities, heritage and public infrastructure in every corner of Ireland. I do not take that lightly. I will begin on a constructive note. It is important to acknowledge the extraordinary commitment of the OPW front-line staff, and as Senator Rabbitte mentioned, the different aspects of where they were out on the front line, helping people who were out in storms, flood-waters, heritage sites and in public buildings, and doing the work that often goes unseen but is absolutely essential. I want to put on record my own appreciation for their dedication, professionalism and public service. While acknowledging the good work of the staff, I also do not want to shy away from the challenges the Minister of State faces, such as the delays and structural issues that continue to undermine the OPW's mission. If anything, it makes it more important that we address them here today because when such systems fail it is the staff who carry the burden and it is the public who will pay the price. One of the most pressing issues facing the OPW is the ongoing delay of flood relief schemes. I am on the petitions committee and even today we are dealing with a petition from residents from Rathcormack, Castlemartyr, Killeagh and Mogeely. They are calling on the Government to initiate tranche 2 of the flood relief programme for their communities. These towns and others like them have repeatedly been before us at the committees and they have been severely impacted by flooding events, which have devastated homes, livelihoods and essential infrastructure. They represent communities across Ireland that are living in constant fear of the next storm, the next high tide and the next river surge. We all know the names of the towns. I have mentioned some of them. They are communities that have been promised relief, protection and progress. Yet, year after year, many of these schemes remain stuck in planning, procurement and essential assessment. The Minister of State first came to my attention when he was out dealing with floods many years ago. I fully appreciate that flood relief schemes are complex and they require engineering, environmental sensitivity and so on, but the pace is simply too slow. The impact on the families who are appearing before our committees is profound. People cannot rebuild their lives every few years. They cannot be listening to the rain outside, wondering if this is the rain that is going to devastate their house once again. We need a renewed urgency, a renewed focus and a renewed commitment to delivering these schemes on time and on budget. While we talk about protecting communities from flooding, we also have to talk about how we protect public assets, the assets we already have. I am involved in the homeless aspect of providing housing. In the middle of a housing crisis involving such big homeless numbers, when we have 17,517 in emergency accommodation, the State cannot afford to mismanage assets it already has and the buildings and properties under its care. That brings me to the example of the Box in the Docks. Last week, I was visiting the residents on the waterways at Grand Canal Dock. I wanted to see how they live, if their accommodation is suitable, what the new by-laws are and how the by-laws are going to impact them. While I was there, I saw the Waterways Visitor Centre at Grand Canal Dock. It cost millions. It is deeply concerning to see it as it is. I literally just came upon it. It was a publicly funded structure in one of the most visible, viable and valuable parts of Dublin, but it has been left idle and is deteriorating. From what I hear, there is no clear plan for its future. I do not think that was a minor oversight. I know it was built in the 1990s at a cost of millions, it was redone in 2009 at a cost of millions and it had its own security up to 2014. It is now a symbol of a wider issue, which is the failure to properly manage, maintain and utilise public assets. I want to be firm on that but I want to be fair. I am not suggesting that every underused building is the result of mismanagement, but when a structure like this sits neglected for years in the heart of a thriving urban area, it raises serious questions about oversight and accountability. At a time when I have a homeless café where we feed 500 people literally a couple of hundred metres from its door, this building could be used for housing, community use or cultural activity. It is unacceptable that assets like this are left to decay. That is why I am calling for a full audit of all OPW-managed vacant or underused properties. We need transparency on these. We need a clear picture of what we own, what condition they are in and what potential they hold. Only then can we make informed decisions about how to use these assets for the public good. Alongside these issues of infrastructure and property management, I want to highlight the OPW's vital role in heritage conservation. I am on the housing committee. We regularly meet people with wonderful stately homes, classic architecture and so on, but they cannot afford to keep the heritage in the state it is meant to be in. They have to open it to the public, which means they have to take out public liability insurance, but the public liability insurance is now in the tens of thousands, and that cannot be supported or reimbursed in any way. What I know is that, in Ireland, our heritage is not a luxury or an optional extra. It is an expression of what Ireland is. It is a story of who we are and where we came from. It is often the cornerstone of our tourism industry, supporting jobs, local economies and regional development. I know heritage is under pressure, especially in urban areas, where development pressures and climate impacts all pose challenges. We need to ensure the OPW has the resources, the staffing and the long-term planning capacity to protect our historic buildings. Once it is lost, it is lost forever. I acknowledge the extraordinary work of the OPW conservation teams, the craftspeople and the specialists. Their skills, which are rare nowadays, are immensely important to the country. We must ensure these skills are passed on, that such training is supported and that heritage is not treated as an afterthought in national planning. As we look to the future, the OPW must be empowered to deliver on its core responsibilities. As I mentioned, that is protecting communities against flooding and preserving our heritage, but it is also managing the public buildings. It requires clarity and leadership. Today, I am asking the Minister of State to consider three key actions. The first is to accelerate the delivery of flood relief schemes and provide clear delivery timelines to affected communities. The second is to commit to a full audit of OPW-managed vacant and underused properties with a view to bringing them back into productive public use. The Minister of State has a letter on his desk from me regarding the Box in the Docks, and that is one significant building that needs to be addressed. The third is to strengthen the OPW's capacity in heritage conservation to ensure the Irish national identity is protected for future generations. The OPW has a proud history and a vital role in the life of this country. With the right focus, the right resources and the right accountability, it can continue to serve the public with excellence. However, we must be honest about the challenges I have raised. I hope I am being fair. We must be ambitious in our vision for what the OPW can achieve. I look forward to work to working constructively with the Minister of State and with colleagues across the House to ensure the OPW is supported, strengthened and held to the highest standards of transparency and public service. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-19/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:57+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-05-19