Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

A progress report by the decentralisation implementation group, DIG, was submitted to me and published on 8 October last. The group reported that implementation of the Civil Service element of the decentralisation programme is progressing. From the announcement of the programme in December 2003, the focus has been on detailed planning and organisation of the property, staffing and business aspects. The DIG has considered it essential that all organisations take the necessary time to prepare this groundwork well in order to ensure effective implementation of a programme of this scale and complexity. In short, its focus has not been on how speedily the programme can be achieved but how well. It is important to remember that the programme is not just about moving public services. It fundamentally impacts on the staff in those organisations, on their career choices and their expectations.

At the end of 2007, decentralising organisations had a presence in 33 towns. Approximately 4,000 staff had been assigned to decentralising posts and over 2,000 of these are currently in their new locations, while the remainder are being trained in advance of decentralisation to a new location, as soon as accommodation becomes available. Taking account of both posts moved and assignments, almost 50% of the Civil Service general service posts have already moved or have staff in place with a commitment to move. The comparable figure for the Civil Service professional and technical staff is 25% and current indications are that it is in the order of 20% for the State agency sector.

Property or sites have been acquired or are well advanced in a total of 38 locations. In addition, the OPW have been very efficient in securing suitable advance or temporary accommodation in over 20 locations to facilitate the early phasing of the transfer of business units. The October DIG report provides an update of the OPW timeframes for the expected completion of permanent accommodation. The OPW conducts a review of the property timeframes for permanent accommodation on an ongoing basis and is keeping these timeframes under review based on its experience to date in relation to property selection and acquisition, brief and design issues, tendering periods, planning issues and contractual arrangements.

I remain confident that the public service will deliver this programme in a considered, sensible and sensitive manner. The Government is anxious to ensure that the momentum of the programme is maintained and developed and in that context Secretaries General of decentralising Departments have been asked to review these timeframes in association with the OPW and the DIG to assess where earlier progress could be made either in relation to permanent accommodation or advance accommodation. The Government has asked the DIG to examine the position in relation to progressing the relocation of the State agencies, with a view to providing a report, including target timescales, by the end of July 2008.

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