Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Question 7: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the full costs that will be incurred in the decentralisation and relocation of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16649/05]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I refer the Deputy to the reply given by the Minister for Finance to Question No. 63 on 27 April 2005.

Costs associated with the decentralisation of my Department will depend on a range of factors including, for example, staff time, staff training, accommodation, information and communications technology, transitional expenses and specialist advice. It is too early to meaningfully seek to quantify the full costs at this stage. My Department will make every effort to keep such costs to a minimum.

Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)
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I thank the Minister for his response, but I am not sure it clarifies anything. Will the Minister at least indicate the numbers of people who have indicated a willingness to move to the new location of the Department's headquarters? Will he use the opportunity of this question to put on record concerns that have been expressed about the general decentralisation process and the concerns of people who choose not to move to new relocated headquarters of Departments but to remain with secretariats in the Dublin area? Will such a decision affect promotion prospects or how they are considered within the general hierarchy of the Department?

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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We have 158 applicants for 159 places in Knock. However, the applications do not all match the available positions. We have oversubscription in the lower ranks and under subscription in the higher ranks. The case is similar in the case of Na Forbacha where we have nine applicants for seven and a half places. One of the great mysteries of the public service is how we can have half a place, but Deputies understand how this works.

I agree decentralisation is a difficult change and that we must be sensitive to those who want to stay in Dublin. However, the point has been made to me time and again that nobody asked young people over the past 60 or 70 years whether they thought Dublin was the optimum choice. If they wanted a public service career they had no choice but to come to the big smoke. Nobody asked them whether they wanted to come to Dublin for a job or whether they would like a job at home.

It has come out clearly from the applications and the decentralisation process that there is a problem for those settled in Dublin. We recognise that and it will be dealt with sensitively. It is also clearer that young people would have preferred jobs down the country if they were there. There is no question that transition means difficulties. However, the place to which we seek to go will be much better than the place we are now which discriminates against those who feel they should have a right to a public service career without having to come to the capital city.

Another major problem in the public service, of which we are all aware, is that there is only a certain career path for those outside the capital city. For example, in my Department the highest officer outside of Dublin is a principal officer. This means we get a logjam behind some principal officers who obviously do not want promotion to Dublin. Most principal officers and assistant principal officers in rural local locations will not find many applications to come to Dublin. On the other hand, neither they nor the people behind them have any promotion prospects.

There is constant negative kicking at the decentralisation issue from certain Oppositions parties. They will not come out clearly and say they do not believe in decentralisation but want to put a dris chosáin in its way all the time. I am disappointed by that. They give no consideration to the denial of rights over so many years to people from rural areas to a public service career in their community.

Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
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I believe in a well-structured and planned decentralisation programme. The Minister said that many people have applied to be decentralised to Cnoc Mhuire and Na Forbacha, which is in his constituency. Can he elaborate further on the figures available to him? How many people have applied to be decentralised to Gaoth Dobhair, which is in my constituency? It was announced that Foras na Gaeilge would be relocated to Gaoth Dobhair. Conas a sheasann an scéal ansin? An bhfuil aon dul chun cinn á dhéanamh?

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Mar is eol don Teachta, tá sé sin mar ábhar i cheist eile inniu. Tá freagra site sa mbeart. Ba mhaith liom a dheimhniú leis an Teachta go bhfuil sé i gceist dul ar aghaidh le sin. Tá cruinnithe ar bun. Mar is eol don Teachta, caithfidh mé aontas a fháil ó na húdaráis ó Thuaidh chomh maith le aontas a fháil ón Rialtas anseo. Tá na comhráite sin ar bun i gconaí. Bhí toghchán sa mBreatain le gairid, mar is eol don Teachta. Chuir sé sin as beagáinín go chúrsaí. Tá an toghchán sin thart agus tá Aire Stáit nua ceapaithe sa roinn fóilíochta ó Thuaidh. Tá súil agam go mbeidh deis agam brú ar aghaidh le sin.

Cloisim daoine ag cur ceisteanna orm maidir le Gaoth Dobhair. Mar is eol don Teachta, is áit iontach í Gaoth Dobhair. Tá na háiseanna ag forbairt ann an t-am ar fad. Tá na háiseanna oideachais ag forbairt an-tapaidh ann. Tá obair iontach ar bun ag Coláiste na hOllscoile, Gaillimh. Creidim féin, le fás oifig an Údaráis — tá oifig ag mo Roinn ann——

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Minister's time has concluded.

Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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To what extent is age a factor in the comparative reluctance of senior civil servants to participate in the decentralisation programme? Such people are older, by definition, and are more likely to have families. They need to consider of all sorts of factors, such as the availability of third level education facilities. Has the Government examined why senior civil servants do not want to decentralise? I presume they are concerned about the career implications of decentralisation.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Some people believe that decentralisation will be good for one's career. The tenor of the question asked by Deputy Boyle was that staying in Dublin might not be so good for one's career because when promotion opportunities arise there, few people will apply for many places. I think the tenor of the Deputy's question was that one's chances of promotion will be much better if one decentralises.

I sometimes think we can over-analyse the obvious. It is obvious that it is much easier for young people from the country, who may have been working in the public service in Dublin for three or four years and may not have a partner or a family, to participate in the decentralisation programme. All they have to do is ask themselves whether they want to move. People who have been settled here for 25 years need to consider other implications, however. They might have a house, a partner with a job in Dublin and a teenage family attending various schools. The answer to Deputy O'Shea's question is self-evident.

It is obvious that we must take every individual case as it comes. The global reasons for the higher take-up in the lower ranks are obvious. There are other factors which will facilitate the decentralisation programme when we begin to implement it. Such factors will make the implementation of the programme much easier than most people expect it to be. I am confident that progress can be made if we pursue the programme judiciously and sensitively. We are examining the options. A committee has been established in the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs to try to facilitate as smooth a transition as possible. I do not doubt that all the positions will be filled when the time comes.