Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

I have been receiving reports from these groups. Unfortunately, Opposition Deputies often refuse to read them or do not acknowledge their existence when they make their assertions. Since last year, the Government has adopted the decentralisation implementation group recommendations on how we rephase the implementation of the programme. The suggestion that we will have 90% done is based on the implementation group's assessment which is based on ongoing discussions. Members of my Department continually brief me on the matter.

I met both the previous and current chairs of the implementation group once and I will meet the current chair again soon. It is not a question of him having to report to me every month on these matters. The implementation group has met on approximately 27 occasions. There are many industrial and human relations issues to be dealt with by independent officers. The implementation group has brought forward three or four reports on these matters.

With regard to staff vacancies, there has not been a tradition of cross-departmental transfer within the State agency sector, unlike the Civil Service which facilitated successful implementation of previous decentralisation programmes. We need to deal with this and need a negotiation breakthrough to ensure it happens. We are not at that point yet because the unions representing agencies have been of the view that this level of co-operation and detailed negotiation should not take place yet.

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