The Northern Ireland Executive has sanctioned a scheme to sell off over 70 Civil Service buildings to the private sector.
The sell-off under the public private partnership scheme - "Workplace 2010" - was first proposed by direct rule ministers and was given unanimous backing by devolved ministers, Finance Minister Peter Robinson confirmed today.
He pledged there would be no job losses among civil servants because of the sale.
Mr Robinson told the Assembly there had been concerns voiced by members that it was a case of "selling off the family silver". But, he said, "some of it is very tarnished silver because we are not talking here about buildings of great historical or cultural interest.
"We are talking about office blocks and Portakabins, some of which are well past their sell-by date and in urgent need of attention," he said.
In the Greater Belfast area the scheme involved 18 buildings owned by the British government; of those, 14 would be demolished or vacated once the refurbishment programme was complete.
PA