Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

I provided the Deputy with a formidable amount of information in response to an earlier question. The number of validated claims received by the Department from the various promoters was lower than anticipated this year. This probably reflects the general position of the construction industry. In that way, we were able to make savings.

My Department has almost completely decentralised to Killarney and only a few of us are left in Kildare Street. Work on our new building will be complete by the end of the year. Obviously we will have to maintain a presence in the Dáil when it is sitting and so on, for which a small cohort will be required. This will be the first fully decentralised Department, to which I look forward.

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