Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

Under the Government's decentralisation programme for the Civil Service and public service, the Department's headquarters sections and the social welfare appeals office are to relocate to six locations, Sligo, Carrick-on-Shannon, Donegal, Buncrana, Drogheda and Carrickmacross. In addition, the Combat Poverty Agency and Comhairle, which operate under the Department's aegis, are scheduled to relocate to Monaghan and Drogheda, respectively.

The decentralisation implementation group, DIG, decided that Sligo, Carrick-on-Shannon and Drogheda would be included in the first phase of the programme. Accommodation is under construction in Sligo and Carrick-on-Shannon and it is expected that both buildings will be available for occupation early in 2007. The indicative date from the DIG for completion of the headquarters building in Drogheda is 2009. It is expected that Comhairle will also relocate to Drogheda in 2009.

The relocations to Carrickmacross, Buncrana and Donegal are included in the second phase of the decentralisation programme, with indicative completion dates of the end of 2008, early 2009, and mid-2009, respectively. The Department's IT division is also to relocate to Drogheda under the programme and in its implementation plan the Department has indicated that the IT division will be the last section to relocate because of the critical nature of its support to the rest of the programme. Therefore, the IT division will relocate to Drogheda some time after 2009, when suitable accommodation becomes available.

Posts in those sections designated to relocate under the decentralisation programme will be filled by civil servants who have applied to the central applications facility, CAF.

Under the programme, the relocation of sections of the Department to Sligo will involve 100 staff and the number of first-choice applications under the central applications facility for Sligo was 61. The number of staff to transfer to Carrick-on-Shannon is 225, while the number of applications made to the CAF was 267. Regarding Drogheda, the number of staff to transfer to the Department's headquarters is 215 and to the Department's IT division, 273, while the number of applications made to the CAF was 568.

Some 230 staff are to relocate to Donegal and 98 applications were made to the CAF. Regarding Buncrana, 120 staff are to transfer and there were 29 applications. Some 85 staff are to transfer to Carrickmacross and 64 applications were made to the CAF.

All the above information relates to first-preference applications made to the CAF before 7 September 2004, the initial closing date for priority applications. Where all first-preference applicants have been assigned and a shortfall remains for a particular location, the Department must move to recruit applicants who have identified the location at a lower preference level.

The central applications facility will remain open for new applications until the full decentralisation programme is complete. Since September 2004, 1,500 additional applications have been received for the various locations included in the complete programme.

A table detailing the grade breakdown of applicants for each of the six locations follows.

My Department has extensive experience of decentralisation, having decentralised to Sligo, Letterkenny, Longford, Waterford and Dundalk under previous decentralisation programmes. I am satisfied that the detailed planning process in place will support successful moves under the new programme.

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