Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)

Roscommon, being the heart of Ireland, would also be a possible location.

From my research on this issue, I understand that 120 towns have applied for decentralised offices. There are some 13 or 14 large folders in the Department containing submissions from towns throughout the country, but nobody knows the number of civil servants who are seeking to transfer from Dublin. Some say that 18,000 civil servants have applied, but some have applied to several Departments. It is important for the Minister to establish the exact number of civil servants who have applied to transfer to offices in towns and counties such as Roscommon, Longford, Mayo and elsewhere. This information should be readily available within the Civil Service.

Like Senator Feighan, I would say that County Roscommon, through the county council, has made an excellent submission. Roscommon town is centrally located and has all the necessary facilities to attract major decentralisation.

I must also make a pitch for the town of Boyle, which put forward an attractive draft brochure to the Minister and the Government. Boyle has offered three to five acres of land free of charge to the Government for decentralised offices. That is a wonderful offer by the Termon and Warren Land Trustees and the Boyle Chamber of Commerce. They are not only saying that they want and need something in Boyle but are putting their money where their mouth is and saying that they will make land available free of charge. The same would apply to towns like Roscommon which would seek to provide services.

Ballaghaderreen lost out on the decentralisation of the Office of Public Works, for which the Minister of State now has responsibility, in the period between two coalition Governments. I will not blame the person responsible for that. The offices were intended to be decentralised to Boyle but were transferred to Ballaghaderreen and they are now closed. I would like to see towns such as Ballaghaderreen, Elphin and Strokestown considered for decentralisation. The idea suggested by Senator Feighan is worthwhile from the point of view of the location of offices.

Decentralisation is an extremely important policy. I am convinced that the Government, with the Minister of State, the Minister for Finance, Deputy McCreevy, the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste, Deputy Harney, will finalise this major decision in the not too distant future. This process will be carried out during the period of this Government. Nobody will accept that the 10,000 civil servants concerned will not be decentralised before the next general election in June 2007. That is the deadline. I refer to 10,000 jobs to be relocated throughout the length and breadth of the country.