Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I remember the first round of negotiations at the end of the 1980s. I was involved in the arrangements within the Department of Finance for three years in respect of relocating large parts of the Central Statistics Office, Revenue and the then Department of Social Welfare. At the time we encountered all the difficulties that have been experienced in this round, which is understandable because it brings change, movement and a different set-up. However, the civil servants and the Departments involved would state the moves have worked extremely well. Several analyses have been carried out by different bodies and groups in the intervening period and it has worked out very satisfactorily. Currently, there are no difficulties in this regard. The difficulties pertain to the set-up.

I refer to the advance groups that have already gone. Some sections of the Department of Transport have already moved to Clonakilty, other sections have moved to Deputy Ó Caoláin's constituency in County Cavan in advance mode and are working very well. I refer to the Marine Institute and others. Despite all the arguments that large numbers of staff would not move, 95% of Marine Institute staff have so done. These moves work very well.

As for the State agencies, of the 10,000 or 11,000 people on the central applications facility, CAF, list, only 1,000 come from the agencies. In respect of the FÁS case, the Labour Court stated as part of its recommendations that it believed the stated policy of effecting decentralisation on a voluntary basis could best be achieved if individuals who were willing to relocate could be provided with realistic alternative options. This is the reason the Department of Finance, through the decentralisation implementation group, is trying to negotiate an agreement with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions that would allow for such a scheme to operate. While only time will tell whether this will be successful, at least both sides have engaged in an examination of this. Obviously I hope it will be successful as those who have been listed would then have an opportunity to move. However, one should be conscious that this has never happened in previous rounds while it has worked successfully in the Civil Service.

As previously noted, approximately 2,000 posts will have been moved by the end of this year. In 2008 and 2009, several thousand more people will move, based on the number of locations in which building is taking place or offices have been purchased. This gives approximately 7,000 people from the total of 10,900, not all of whom are from Dublin, as was noted earlier. However, several thousand would move to those locations. Advance accommodation has been secured in approximately 20 locations to enable early movers to move. I understand that in such cases, no difficulties have arisen. Revenue has encountered a few difficulties and I understand the Minister for Finance spoke on this issue yesterday. Alternative numbers have been put up in respect of the proposed information and communications technology, ICT, move to Kildare. Consequently, while some changes are taking place within some agencies, by and large the numbers will be achieved and with sensible negotiations on all sides, a position will be reached whereby most of those offices that were nominated in the first place will have moved.

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