Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 1182: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of the 118 staff members in his Department proposed to relocate to Buncrana under the Government's decentralisation plan who have indicated a preference to do so; and if the 118 have not indicated such a preference, the way he proposes to achieve that number for the promised completion date of 2009. [2472/07]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Government's Programme of Decentralisation 118 posts in my Department are to be relocated to Buncrana. According to figures received by the Department from the Central Applications Facility (CAF), through which all applications for decentralisation must be submitted, the number of first preference applicants for Buncrana is 34, of which 17 currently work in the Department. The agreed protocols for the assignment of staff to the positions designated to move to Buncrana, is that offers of transfer are made, in the first instance, to first preference priority applicants on the CAF. Where there is a shortfall in numbers, priority applicants who applied to the CAF before 7 September 2004 and who have included Buncrana as a second or subsequent preference will be given an opportunity to change their first preference to Buncrana. Thereafter, applicants who applied after 7 September 2004 will be considered. Accordingly, it is not possible at this stage to say how many people will eventually exercise the option to relocate to Buncrana. The CAF will remain open for new applications until the full decentralisation programme is complete.