Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

The OECD has not said that. The Deputy did not give a fair reading of the situation. The OECD was not asked to comment on any Government policy, including decentralisation. The report makes the point that the ambitious and voluntary decentralisation programme is challenging and the Government accepts that is the case. There has been significant progress in the programme. To date, approximately 2,200 posts have been relocated and decentralising organisations have established a presence in 34 locations. More than 11,000 civil and public servants have applied on the Central Applications Facility to decentralise, of whom more than 6,000 or 55% are based in Dublin. The facility remains open and continues to receive applications. Some 2,200 posts have been moved and a further 1,200 Civil Service staff have been assigned to decentralising posts and are being trained in their new role in advance of their move. Taking account of both the moves and assignments, almost 50% of the Civil Service general service posts have 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 the indications are that it is in the order of 20% for the State agency sector.

Decentralisation is a voluntary programme. Difficulties have arisen in the State agency sector because it does not share a culture established in the Civil Service in which cross-pollination of staff among Departments is regarded as acceptable. We have been asked on foot of the Labour Court recommendations in the FÁS case to engage with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions on these matters. ICTU indicated recently that the OECD report presents an opportunity to step back from the process, which is unfortunate. The OECD does not state what the Deputy asserted but states the decentralisation programme is challenging. It is not, as has been portrayed, a critique of the programme. It is no such thing.

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