The HSE had more than 200 vacant properties in its possession at the end of April, internal auditors have found.
A new internal audit report, released on Tuesday, highlights 21 individual vacant properties listed on the campus of St Ita’s Hospital in Portrane in north county Dublin.
The report said St Ita’s was an example of individual sites identified as vacant but located within locations that contain multiple properties.
St Ita’s was a large complex of buildings built between 1896-1903 which were deemed no longer fit for purpose, the report said.
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“There are 21 individual vacant properties listed within the St Ita’s Hospital campus. These are reported as individual vacant properties but, in reality, the majority of them can only be disposed, retained or redeveloped as a single property or transaction,” auditors said.
According to the report, it would not be feasible or possible to dispose of a single unit or property within these locations.
The audit found that the number of HSE-owned properties considered vacant can fluctuate over time. In February 2022 there were 278 vacant properties on the books of the HSE but this fell to 183 by February 2024 before rising again to 205 in April 2024.
Overall the report said that the HSE was one of the largest property owners in the State.
“The HSE healthcare estate nationally comprises of about 4,400 buildings across about 2,600 property locations which includes acute hospitals, primary care centres, mental health and disability premises, community nursing homes, civil registry offices, office accommodation, laboratories and warehouses.”
It said properties on the HSE’s books ranged from 19th century buildings to modern new builds.
It said rules set out by the Department of Public Expenditure in 2016 require the HSE to “minimise the occurrence” of surplus property within its portfolio.
It said some element of vacancy was normal in property management but that it should be kept to a minimum through organisations keeping their property holdings under review.
The report said that properties on the vacant list were classified under three categories: those that were surplus to requirement and in various stages of disposal; those considered to be “retained assets” as they may be needed for future healthcare use or were located in the middle of a HSE campus; and those “under review” where they were being considered for reuse, retention or disposal.
In February this year, of the 183 properties listed as vacant at the time, 90 were “in disposal”, 32 were under review and 61 were considered to be “retained assets”.
It said under the Department of Public Expenditure rules, when HSE property is being disposed, it first should be offered to the Land Development Agency (LDA). This is the commercial, State-sponsored body established to co-ordinate land within State control for more optimal uses, with a focus on the provision of housing.
If the LDA has no requirement for the site, it is then offered through the State Property Register to local authorities or other State bodies. If no State use is identified, the HSE can then dispose of the property on the open market.
Auditors said they examined six specific instances as part of their study and found in all cases the HSE had adhered to the hierarchy set out for disposing of surplus property.
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