Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)

Last June, the Minister told us that he expected construction to start in the final quarter of 2005, but that has now gone back to the second quarter of 2006. He also indicated that there were 160 posts and 157 applicants. Are those applicants all from the Minister's Department or are they from a group of Departments?

I asked the question about the bonus because gardaí, teachers and nurses working in Gaeltacht areas are paid a bonus. Will the Minister inform us whether civil servants in his Department working in Furbo, County Galway, are paid a similar bonus? Are the people working in local offices in Derrybeg, Tralee and Achill paid a bonus also? Has the prospect of paying a bonus to Foras na Gaeilge staff, who are to be decentralised to Gweedore, been examined on the same basis as groups that are already in receipt of such a bonus in Gaeltacht areas?

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