Comments on: Revealed! Full details of State’s €103m rent bill in 2011

By: Please Tell me I'm Wrong

Please Tell me I'm Wrong — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 23:08:50 +0000

NWL Many thanks for this. Instead of going after pensioners, B Hayes could write to the landlords politely pointing out that the government cant afford the insane rents being paid for the jerry-built eyesores owned by the friends of the political class and could they please reduce their rents by say, 20% in line with the deflation being forced on the rest of the economy. Lets publish the responses and see who puts on the green jersey. Suppliers to government were forced to reduce their contracted rates a number of years ago but the landlords as usual got a free pass.

Agree that this is probably an understatement of true state sector rents. It would also be of interest to see if there has been any significant reduction in rents over the past few years – after all with the early retirement reduction in numbers bragged about by Howlin there should be less demand for space right?

By: Patrick

Patrick — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 10:08:45 +0000

Would Have to agree with Bunbury.

This List Does not Include the rents being paid by HSE and other State Bodies.

This is where the real money is

Doubtful if these will be made Available

By: greekirish

greekirish — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 22:12:16 +0000

Correct Bunbury. The OPW duck this issue in PQ questions all the time. They should be asked to show total rent bils to include all you have mentioned plus charitys, HSE Forfas, Fas, Bord Gas, and thousands of others. Remember Ben Dunne/Michael Lowry and the EIrcom building. Mr Justice Moriarty described the pair’s attempts in 1995 at hiking up the rent on the building leased by then state-owned Telecom Éireann as “profoundly corrupt to a degree that was nothing short of breathtaking”. The state has serious questions to answer as to why the state signed these upward only leases when as the “sovereign” they were rent setters. They have cost us a fortune and the cost of the collateral damage done to all other tenants who are locked into these leases is incalculable.

By: Bunbury

Bunbury — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 20:33:33 +0000

Hi NWL,

Just had a quick look after my evening meal (and ritual glasses of wine). Went straight to a building I know of. It shows it being leased by Dept of SW only but I know that the local VEC has a huge rent bill in that building also. It appears this spreadsheet shows the rent paid by the CIVIL SERVICE only and not the wider public sector (HSE, VEC’s, various other myriad quangoes (quangos?), etc). Am I wrong? If I am correct this is probably only a fraction of what the ‘State’ really pays in rent per year.

By: namawinelake

namawinelake — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 17:14:53 +0000

@Gavin, will check but the PQ shows more buildings than the listing obtained from the OPW today. The OPW listing is, I believe, the one referred to in the Sunday Business Post last month, but it is a revelation to have the complete spreadsheet. I understand that PQ to relate to 2010 lease expenditure, and was covered here in August 2011.
http://namawinelake.wordpress.com/2011/08/09/revealed-details-of-the-e129m-annual-state-property-bill-–-what-how-much-paid-and-to-whom/

By: Gavin Sheridan

Gavin Sheridan — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:50:25 +0000

Yea this was in a PQ from 2011 ;)

http://www.kildarestreet.com/wrans/?id=2011-11-17.696.0

Not exactly revealed! :p

By: Gavin Sheridan

Gavin Sheridan — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 15:26:49 +0000

Are you sure this is not just every lease taken out by the OPW? Lots of other government bodies lease, including the HSE and the IDA. Was not much of this data put out in PQs already?

By: CJ

CJ — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 14:45:06 +0000

Donal & Arthur Spring, Tralee. Brothers of former Tánaiste and Lab leader Dick Spring. Uncle and father of current TD Arthur J. Spring. “The cause of Labour is the cause of …….” :-)

By: namawinelake

namawinelake — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 14:11:24 +0000

@PaddyJoe, thanks. Someone has drawn attention to this Galway News report in late 2010.
http://www.galwaynews.ie/15800-call-probe-€2m-rent-payment-ex-bankers

The 24% alleged increase in rent, backdated, is noteworthy if correct. But it’s hardly news that folks owning property being pursued by lenders.

By: PaddyJoe

PaddyJoe — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 13:55:29 +0000

2,367,000 for the Ballybrit partnership including former Anglo director Tom Browne who is being sued by IRBC for 10 million.