Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 and 2 together.

Of the 169 civil servants currently serving in my Department, 28 have applied through the central applications facility, CAF, to relocate under the decentralisation programme.

The breakdown by grade is nine assistant principals, five higher executive officers, two administrative officers, four executive officers, one staff officer, six clerical officers and one from the services grades.

A total of 29 former members of staff have already been assigned to decentralised posts. There are no proposals to decentralise my Department or any of the bodies under its aegis. It is a matter for those Departments to which staff from my Department have decentralised to assign such staff to locations outside Dublin.

See this speech in context