Dáil debates

Wednesday, 22 March 2006

Priority Questions.

Decentralisation Programme.

1:00 pm

Photo of Michael RingMichael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 51: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the sections of his Department that are being relocated under the planned decentralisation programme; the areas they are being relocated to; when he expects decentralisation to take place; the number of staff who have submitted applications for decentralisation; their grades and so on; the way in which posts which will be vacant owing to staff not opting for decentralisation will be filled; the date by which he expects full decentralisation to be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11134/06]

Photo of Séamus BrennanSéamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Government's decentralisation programme for the Civil Service and public service, the Department's headquarters sections and the social welfare appeals office are to relocate to six locations, Sligo, Carrick-on-Shannon, Donegal, Buncrana, Drogheda and Carrickmacross. In addition, the Combat Poverty Agency and Comhairle, which operate under the Department's aegis, are scheduled to relocate to Monaghan and Drogheda, respectively.

The decentralisation implementation group, DIG, decided that Sligo, Carrick-on-Shannon and Drogheda would be included in the first phase of the programme. Accommodation is under construction in Sligo and Carrick-on-Shannon and it is expected that both buildings will be available for occupation early in 2007. The indicative date from the DIG for completion of the headquarters building in Drogheda is 2009. It is expected that Comhairle will also relocate to Drogheda in 2009.

The relocations to Carrickmacross, Buncrana and Donegal are included in the second phase of the decentralisation programme, with indicative completion dates of the end of 2008, early 2009, and mid-2009, respectively. The Department's IT division is also to relocate to Drogheda under the programme and in its implementation plan the Department has indicated that the IT division will be the last section to relocate because of the critical nature of its support to the rest of the programme. Therefore, the IT division will relocate to Drogheda some time after 2009, when suitable accommodation becomes available.

Posts in those sections designated to relocate under the decentralisation programme will be filled by civil servants who have applied to the central applications facility, CAF.

Under the programme, the relocation of sections of the Department to Sligo will involve 100 staff and the number of first-choice applications under the central applications facility for Sligo was 61. The number of staff to transfer to Carrick-on-Shannon is 225, while the number of applications made to the CAF was 267. Regarding Drogheda, the number of staff to transfer to the Department's headquarters is 215 and to the Department's IT division, 273, while the number of applications made to the CAF was 568.

Some 230 staff are to relocate to Donegal and 98 applications were made to the CAF. Regarding Buncrana, 120 staff are to transfer and there were 29 applications. Some 85 staff are to transfer to Carrickmacross and 64 applications were made to the CAF.

All the above information relates to first-preference applications made to the CAF before 7 September 2004, the initial closing date for priority applications. Where all first-preference applicants have been assigned and a shortfall remains for a particular location, the Department must move to recruit applicants who have identified the location at a lower preference level.

The central applications facility will remain open for new applications until the full decentralisation programme is complete. Since September 2004, 1,500 additional applications have been received for the various locations included in the complete programme.

A table detailing the grade breakdown of applicants for each of the six locations follows.

My Department has extensive experience of decentralisation, having decentralised to Sligo, Letterkenny, Longford, Waterford and Dundalk under previous decentralisation programmes. I am satisfied that the detailed planning process in place will support successful moves under the new programme.

Number of Applications and Grade Breakdown for each location
Location Total Number of Applicants to CAF Principal Officer Assistant Principal Officer Higher Executive Officer Executive Officer Staff Officer Clerical Officer Other
Sligo 61 1 5 12 9 4 29 1
Carrick-on-Shannon 267 3 7 21 51 18 167 0
Drogheda 568 22 92 126 137 30 153 8
Donegal 98 0 4 9 27 9 49 0
Buncrana 29 0 0 6 6 1 15 1
Carrickmacross 64 0 4 8 12 2 38 0

Photo of Michael RingMichael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Fine Gael recently tabled questions to find out how many people had applied to move to Drogheda, Carrick-on-Shannon, Sligo, Donegal town, Buncrana and Carrickmacross. The number of people desired was 1,240, and 1,316 people applied. However, the problem is that, of that number, only 190 will be going with their job. What will happen in terms of promotion opportunities for those people who do not wish to decentralise? What will be the cost of retraining people? At the Joint Committee on Finance and the Public Service in recent days, representatives of the Department of Finance said that it could cost up to €80,000 per job to decentralise from one Department to another. How will the Minister deal with experienced people in Dublin who are doing the job but will not move with it? Where will the Department find the necessary expertise when it moves to other locations?

Photo of Séamus BrennanSéamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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Over 1,000 applications have been received, covering various grades, including principal officers, assistant principal officers, higher executive officers, executive officers, staff officers and clerical officers. There is a good mix of skills across those grades that can be brought to bear whatever the location. The Department has decentralised very successfully in the past. There are more than 5,000 staff throughout the Department, well over half of whom are already decentralised outside Dublin and successfully operating in a range of areas around the country. The best thing to say of any idea is that it has worked in the past. Our decentralisation to the places that I have mentioned, Letterkenny, Sligo, Longford and so on, is working very well, and customers enjoy a good service from those locations.

The Deputy asked about those staff who do not wish to move. As he is aware, the entire decentralisation process is voluntary and the objective is to attract as many people as possible. One of the inherent difficulties, on which I have no accurate figures, is that some people seek to decentralise within decentralisation. For example, the offices that we are opening in Drogheda are headquarters offices and some of our people in Dundalk wish to move down there. When one tries to do something in Castlebar, people in Ballina want to move over. The figures do not always indicate decentralisation from Dublin to the regions, which is generally what we regard as decentralisation. A recentralisation is under way within that and we are trying to deal with that as best we can. In my Department, the system has worked very successfully and we are one of the most decentralised in the State.

Photo of Michael RingMichael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Minister raised decentralisation within the Department. In the committee, I brought up the question of the Garda PULSE computer system, which is to be dealt with in Mayo. Many people from the Minister's Department working in Dublin have applied to decentralise to Castlebar, but at present the Department will not accept applications from them. People come to my colleagues and me saying that they are settled where they work in Dublin. In the past, when decentralised took place, a new section was set up rather than moving the whole Department out of Dublin.

We will have a problem with people who have children at school and husbands or wives who work in the city. They are afraid that their opportunities for promotion will be stifled simply because they are unable to move to Carrick-on-Shannon, Donegal town, Buncrana or Carrickmacross. They will be left behind and the Minister must set their minds at rest regarding what will happen to them if they do not move with their Departments. They must be reassured that promotion opportunities will not be denied them and told where they will go and what jobs await them.

Photo of Séamus BrennanSéamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I accept that. This is what the central application facility is trying to resolve. As I indicated earlier, a good range of people, from principal officers, assistant principals and so on, have applied. We find it more difficult to fill some locations than others. A considerable shortfall exists in a number of areas for which we find it difficult to induce people to sign up. However, given the timeframe set out in my reply, we are optimistic we will fill them. As some of the proposed timeframes extend to 2009, we should be able to fill the quota of people we are trying to attract well in advance of those dates.