The Secretary General the Department of Agriculture has been questioned over plans for the department's office building in Portlaoise in County Laois.

Fianna Fáil TD for Laois Sean Fleming said the current situation is leading to a waste of resources as there is up to €1m of tax payer's money being paid on rent each year for buildings across the town.

Deputy Fleming said: "In particular I wanted to identify what efforts are being taken to ensure all staff are located in the one building to improve efficiency.

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"I have long being calling for permanent accommodation for all the department staff working in Portlaoise. The current situation is unsatisfactory as the staff are spread out across several office buildings in the town. This is frustrating the work that they do.

"When I questioned the Secretary General about his plans for an extension to the main building he confirmed that he is fully committed to this process. He said that this is a top priority for the department. He has requested the Office of Public Works to move on this with urgency.

"He also confirmed that there are staff from other Government departments in the main building and he felt it made more sense that the entire building be allocated to the Department of Agriculture rather than spreading agricultural staff across the town."

(CD/MH)