Dáil debates

Tuesday, 27 April 2010

2:30 pm

Photo of Brian CowenBrian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

The cost of the bus is not covered in the supplementary information either. The ability to anticipate goes way beyond my expectations.

It has been a feature of how the service has been, is and probably will be organised in the future where people commute long distances to hold down jobs in the public service. Decentralisation has provided a welcome opportunity for many people, both those from Dublin who wished to return to the city or those who wished to go to part of the country they had not inhabited in the past. Everyone I have met at various times in whatever capacity has been happy with the relocations that took place. The OPW has provided workplace environments comparable to any one would expect anywhere and it has, in many cases, improved the work environment for staff who had to operate in less suitable surroundings in the past, which is one of the reasons the decentralisation process was undertaken.

In this phase of the programme, approximately 4,000 people will be relocated with 3,100 having been relocated so far. Due to the change in the financial situation, a review is to take place regarding the remaining staff who were not in the process of being moved in this phase. The review will take place in 2011. Decentralisation has taken place to almost 40 locations to date. Full completion of the projects under way and approved will result in approximately 4,000 moves overall. The moves to Buncrana, County Donegal, and Trim, County Meath, are under way.

The Wexford building for the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has been finished and the transfer of staff from the existing advance office in Wexford has commenced. During this month, staff based in Dublin moved to Wexford. It is expected that the Newbridge building for the Department of Defence will be completed by the end of May or early June and staff moves will commence shortly thereafter. The project in Roscommon town has just commenced and it is hoped projects in Tipperary town, where a preferred tender has been selected, and Portlaoise will commence this year. The total expenditure on the property aspects of the programme to the end of December last year was €338 million. That amount is comprised of the cost of the sites, property acquisition, fit-out works and rent of approximately €330 million expended by the Office of Public Works, OPW, together with €7 million incurred directly in respect of property costs by other organisations. Approximately €17.7 million has been spent to the end of last year on the cost of renting and fitting out properties in advance party locations. Staff in such locations will remain in place or move to permanent accommodation under the programme.

The property costs have been offset by savings in the reallocation of property by the OPW to other schemes at the end of 2008 valued in the region of €550 million. Of that amount more than €350 million relates to the disposal of high-value sites at the height of the property market. The potential for future receipts is more limited. In addition, property valued at €75 million was transferred to the affordable homes partnership. The OPW has also agreed joint venture development schemes with a value of approximately €125 million subject to volatility in the property market.

As expected, non-property costs are being provided as more advance accommodation is in place, staff training is increased and the moves have taken place. Total expenditure on non-property costs at the end of September 2009 for all decentralising organisations was approximately €15 million. The spend to date on staffing costs according to the OPW on the property aspects of the programme was €12.6 million. That is as much information as I have on that aspect of the matter.

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