Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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Question 110: To ask the Minister for Defence if a cost benefit analysis was conducted on the decentralisation of elements of his Department to Newbridge and elements of the Defence Forces headquarters to the Defence Forces training centre in the Curragh Camp; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6830/08]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy is aware, the Minister for Finance announced in his budget speech in December 2003 that a total of eight Departments would move their headquarters from Dublin to provincial locations. As part of this programme, all my Department's Dublin-based Civil Service staff are relocating to Newbridge and the Defence Forces headquarters will relocate to the Curragh. In coming to its decision on decentralisation, the Government took account of a wide range of factors in selecting suitable locations and Departments and agencies.

Immediately following the announcement of the programme, a decentralisation implementation group was appointed to prepare an overall implementation plan in consultation with all the organisations involved, including my Department. My Department has produced implementation plans for the group, setting out the detailed arrangements that will be put in place for relocation, such as risk assessment and mitigation strategies, service and business continuity, and business processes and systems. These plans are being progressed in preparation for the move. The relocation of my Department to Newbridge and of the Defence Forces headquarters to the Curragh will take place in 2009.

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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Given that the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces are currently co-located in Glasnevin and Infirmary Road, surely the fact that the various functions and roles of both will be split, with one being located in the Curragh and the other in Newbridge, will not lead to good administration. In terms of functionality, would it not have been preferable if a single relocation was made to Newbridge rather than splitting the two bodies? Was a cost benefit analysis carried out prior to this decision being made? The Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces will be based in Newbridge while most of his staff will be based in the Curragh. In terms of administrative purposes alone and the flow of information, and given the proximity in which the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces work, this move will create many problems down the road. It is probably too late to change the decision, but I question how well it was thought through. Surely it would have been preferable for the Government to opt for one location, and well and good if that is Newbridge given the spin-off that would result from the relocation, but dividing the two bodies in terms of location will lead to many logistical problems down the road.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, Newbridge and the Curragh are quite close to each other. We live in the age of instant communications. The Chief of Staff and more than 40 personnel, including two deputy chiefs of staff, will be co-located with the Department in Newbridge. We have had extensive discussions with the military and the Civil Service about this matter and they are quite happy with the arrangements.

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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It is probably the first time this Department will be split. The feedback I got from some of the staff affected is that they are concerned about the future operational aspect of this arrangement.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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If the Deputy says that, I must take his word for it, but I have always shown myself to be open to representatives. If anybody in the military or the Department has anything to say to me, he or she can come and say it to me, and I have not heard one word of complaint about this.