Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

With regard to the last part of the question, last Saturday I spoke at the opening of the ASAP conference organised by the GAA in Croke Park, which was attended by some 250 co-ordinators from across the island. I agree with the Deputy. I spoke with the president of the GAA at the conference and know the Minister of State, Deputy Curran, has spoken to others. I propose, subject to diaries being sorted out, that the remaining sports organisations would be included. One of the great ways we can reach large numbers of young people is through the sports organisations. I remember the Deputy raising this point two years ago.

With regard to the proposed functions, divisions and agencies to transfer from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform to the newly formed Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs, the numbers have not yet been finalised but approximately 190 staff will transfer with this work from that Department. Approximately 150 of these are civil servants and 40 are public servants. They come from the gender equality division, the disability equality division, the diversity and equality law division, the Office of the Minister for Integration, the Equality Tribunal, the Equality Authority, the National Disability Authority and the Irish Human Rights Commission. The line divisions transferring into the Department are currently based in Dublin. In addition, two of the agencies transferring into the Department are currently based outside of Dublin — the Equality Authority is based in Roscrea and the Equality Tribunal is based in Portlaoise.

The programmes transferring out of the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs to the new Department of Social Protection are the rural social scheme and the community services programme, which are two labour activation schemes. They are operated by my Department's offices in Tubbercurry and it is estimated that approximately eight staff will move with this work out of the Department.

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