Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

Many people within the Department have served abroad on overseas development aid issues. Out of 123 posts to be decentralised, however, 28 so far in the directorate, including that of the director general himself, are being filled by people who wish to decentralise. A further 18 officers serving elsewhere in the Department, mostly abroad on aid missions, have also expressed an interest in going to Limerick. A further 18 will join the directorate from other Departments via the CAF in January and February.

There has been a great deal of nonsense about this and I am surprised that someone like the Deputy, who is from outside Dublin, would be against decentralisation.

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