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| == Organisation == | == Organisation == | ||
Revision as of 14:57, 3 March 2016
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| State Agency of the Department of Finance overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 15 October 1831 (1831-10-15) |
| Jurisdiction | Ireland |
| Headquarters | Jonathan Swift Street, Trim, County Meath |
| Minister responsible | |
| State Agency of the Department of Finance executive |
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| Key document |
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| Website | OPW website |
The Office of Public Works (OPW; Template:Lang-ga) (legally the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland, though the full title is rarely used) is a State Agency of the Department of Finance in Ireland. Its chief responsibility is the ownership, upkeep, and maintenance of Government of Ireland and historic buildings in Ireland.
Role
The OPW is a service organisation. Its ethos is to be client focused, to ensure timely delivery of services and to provide value for money. Their remit covers two main areas - Estate Portfolio Management including Heritage Services and Flood Risk Management (all areas are supported by Corporate Services).
The mission of the OPW is to use their experience and expertise in their mandated areas of operation to provide innovative, effective and sustainable shared services to the public and their clients.
Estate Portfolio Management and Heritage Services:
The OPW's aim is to maintain a high standard in managing and conserving their buildings and heritage.
Flood Risk Management:
The OPW, as the leading agency for flood risk management in Ireland, minimises the impacts of flooding through sustainable planning.
History
The Office of Public Works (OPW) (or “Board of Works” as it has also been called) was established in 1831, by an Act of Parliament: An Act for the Extension and Promotion of Public Works in Ireland.
Before this Act, the role of the OPW had been carried out by a range of organisations. These were:
- Office of the Surveyor General (1670-1763) in charge of the King's works in Ireland
- Commissioners and Overseers of Barracks/Barrack Board and Board of Works (1700-1823) - first administering military barracks and later civil buildings in Ireland
- Public Works Loans Commissioners (1817-1831) - administering loans
- Directors of Inland Navigation (1729-1831) - established to administer navigation works in Ireland, principally the construction of canals
OPW Role
A board of three Commissioners was appointed, independent of their counterparts in Britain and responsible to the Lords Commissioners to the Treasury.
As well as having public funds, the OPW also operated as a lending agency. It had the power to give loans to establish, extend or improve any existing or proposed public works, provided the project was considered feasible.
Over the years, the functions of the OPW have influenced many aspects of life in Ireland.
Growing importance
The OPW grew during the Great Famine of 1845-1852, when it was given the task of running relief works by means of Treasury loans. From the late 1850s, it was given responsibility for looking after police barracks, coastguard stations, national schools, post offices, customs buildings, the royal universities and lunatic asylums.
The OPW carried out vast arterial drainage schemes on the Irish river system in the 1850s and 1860s, which altered the landscape significantly. It also undertook many substantial public commissions in the late 19 and early 20 centuries, including the National Museum and the National Library. In the 1980s and 1990s, it was responsible for important commissions in Dublin such as the developing Dublin Castle, restoring the Royal Hospital and redeveloping Government Buildings in Merrion Street.
The OPW was given the authority for preserving Ireland's National Monuments under legislation enacted in 1882 and 1892. The OPW has responsibility for the care of 780 heritage sites in Ireland, including national monuments, historic parks, gardens and buildings.
Today
Today, the OPW's responsibilities relate to three main areas: Estate Portfolio Management & Heritage Services and Flood Risk Management.
The OPW provides accommodation for Government Services and manages much of the State’s property portfolio. It is now taking the lead on the Property Asset Management aspect of the Public Service Reform Plan It also has responsibility for caring for 780 heritage sites, including national monuments, historical parks, gardens and buildings.
It is the Government’s principal engineering agency, providing an engineering service to the Flood Risk Management and Estate Portfolio Management functions of the OPW as well as to other Government Departments.
OPW management
The OPW is a central Government Office and the staff of the organisation comprises part of the civil service of the State.
Mr, Simon Harris TD is the Minister of State at the Departments of Finance PER and Taoiseach with Special Responsibility for the OPW, Public Procurement, and International Banking (incl IFSC). The legal entity of the Commissioners of Public Works comprise of Chairman Clare McGrath, Commissioner John McMahon and Commissioner John Sydenham.
Further information on the history of the Office of Public Works may be obtained from the Library of the OPW or from the National Archives of Ireland.
http://www.opw.ie/en/organisationchart/
Organisation
The Minister for Finance has overall responsibility for the organisation. The organisation is unique in the Irish public sector, in that it is the only body other than a Department of State with a specific minister with responsibility for it, the Minister of State at the Department of Finance with special responsibility for the Office of Public Works (currently Simon Harris The Commissioners comprise a Chairman and two other Commissioners. The staff of the organisation comprise part of the Civil Service of the State.
See also
References
External links
Categories: