Michael Noonan defends €4m restoration of department buildings

Finance Minister Michael Noonan has defended the need to invest €4m of taxpayer money into restoring the buildings that house the two government departments that oversee the country’s finances.

The makeover of buildings that house the Departments of Finance and Public Expenditure is currently ongoing and is due to continue until autumn of this year under the lead of the Office of Public Works (OPW).

In a written Dáil response to Joan Collins TD, Mr Noonan warned “if the current programme of works were not carried out, then both departments may have needed to vacate the building on health and safety grounds and seek office space elsewhere in the vicinity at additional cost”.