Committee Reports::Report - Appropriation Accounts 1957

With reference to the letter which was addressed to you on the 26th July, 1957, on the subject of the compilation of complete registers and rentals of all State lands and buildings administered by the Commissioners of Public Works, I enclose a statement of the progress made in the work during the year ended 31st March, 1958.

Of the 2,300 (approximately) properties now in the Commissioners’ administration, less than half have been surveyed to date. Progress has been retarded mainly by difficulties in recruiting and retaining the necessary technical staff for the mapping and legal end of the work. In addition, the work of surveying the Dublin City and larger provincial properties and of keeping the completed mapping records up to date has proved to be more time-consuming than had been anticipated.

In the light of the experience to date, it is estimated that on the basis of the full authorised staff of four Surveyors being available constantly the work would take, at least, a further 17 years to complete in accordance with the programme set out in the report which was submitted to you on the 15th November, 1950 and which, for ease of reference, may be summarised as follows:—

(a) Survey and Mapping: A special survey of each property to enable accurate and detailed site maps and floor plans to be prepared.

(b) Legal: Abstracts of all deeds affecting each property and a short Epitome of Title.

(i) a survey and perambulation file for each property containing memoranda from other records relating to the property, the abstracts of title and Surveyor s report and records of periodic perambulation ;

(ii) envelopes arranged on the Card Index principle containing the relevant maps, plans, etc., and showing on the face of each envelope the location and extent of the property with the Epitome of Title and brief particulars of utilisation, and

(iii) loose leaf Registers arranged on a Departmental basis describing in more complete detail the utilisation, etc., of the properties, and the accommodation therein ; and

(d) Architectural: The periodic perambulation of each property to ensure that there is no unauthorised user.

Having regard to the desirability of completing the work as quickly as possible and to the need for economy in the public service, a thorough examination of the procedure as outlined was made with a view to determining to what extent it could be abridged. As a result, it has been decided to make the following modifications:—

(1) The omission of floor plans of buildings—site maps only to be prepared henceforth.

(2) The omission from the survey of certain categories of properties where the possibility of unauthorised user or encroachment occurring is remote, e.g. National Monuments where State ownership of the surrounding land is not involved, rented offices forming part of private premises, etc.

In all cases, the other records will be expanded to contain an adequate record of the title and occupation or utilisation of each property, and the properties will continue to be perambulated periodically as heretofore.

At this stage it is not possible to give an approximate date for the completion of the work as re-organised but the Commissioners are satisfied that the modifications referred to will substantially increase the rate of progress and that the efficiency of the service will not be impaired.

Mapping.—During the year 33 properties in Dublin City and County were surveyed and mapped, and 1 property in County Laois was mapped.

From the initiation of the Rental, a total of 1,037 properties have been surveyed while 1,032 have been mapped.

Legal.—The preliminary legal work was done in respect of 46 properties in Dublin City and County and County Laois, and the final legal work was done in respect of 34 properties in the Dublin area and Counties Donegal, Laois, Longford and Sligo.

Secretariat.—During the year the 34 properties mentioned in the preceding paragraph were finally dealt with.

Perambulation.—The systematic perambulation of all properties, whether surveyed or not, in as full a manner as circumstances permitted, was continued throughout the year.

APPENDIX XII.

REGISTERS AND RENTALS OF STATE LAND AND BUILDINGS.