Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

Like the Deputy, I had serious concerns about the decentralisation programme and I set out my views clearly while I was in opposition. It was a populist move which made no sense and it cost the country a fortune. We are trying to reverse many of the crazy decisions that were taken on the basis of winning votes rather than doing something sensible.

Having said that, we are stuck with what we have. Certain elements of the decentralisation programme were quite successful, an example of which is the relocation to Clonakilty. Other decentralisation projects were completed successfully long before the major decentralisation announcement. Applications, whether for the Department of Education and Skills or my Department, do not have to be processed in Dublin. The work done in Portlaoise does not need to be moved back to Dublin.

However, it is not satisfactory that staff in Portlaoise are accommodated in seven different buildings. We are in discussions with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the OPW on the matter. The three options available to us are consolidation of the Portlaoise offices, extensions to Government offices in the town or construction of a new building to accommodate all the staff. We will assess and cost these options. Clearly we cannot afford to spend a lot in terms of capital investment but we need to achieve efficiencies. The process will be completed without a negative impact on the services provided from Portlaoise.

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