Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

The decentralisation programme has made substantial progress. As the Deputy is well aware and as I announced in the budget, the programme is not dead, but in light of our changed economic circumstances, certain matters had to be prioritised. The Government's latest decision means that 6,000 posts were decentralised outside Dublin. That is an impressive figure in terms of the decentralisation programme.

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