Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

I welcome Deputy Creed's support for the rationalisation of our office network. He made that support known on previous occasions. When he refers to docking stations, I presume the Deputy is referring to making facilities and technology available at existing offices. Senior management in the Department has been involved with the personnel in all of our offices in respect of the restructuring and rationalisation of the network. Naturally, a practical approach will be taken in the context of dealing with particular issues. We want to minimise the necessity for people to travel.

As the Deputy stated, a large proportion of the work of these officers involves being out in the field and they work with members of local farming communities in the areas to which they are assigned. Even though the location of head offices may change, many staff will continue to work in the geographical areas for which they currently have responsibility. All of these matters will be dealt with on a practical basis as the rationalisation process continues.

Drumshanbo, Navan, Enniscorthy and Waterford have been identified as the locations for the first four enhanced offices. The human resources division and other divisions of the Department are working with the personnel at all of the offices affected in the interests of putting the new structures in place as soon as possible. The arrangements in this regard will, in the first instance, be discussed with the relevant personnel. It is vital that the staff involved will be made aware of what is proposed.

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