Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

We are advised that 200 people will move from headquarters. Unless the Minister of State insists that all the bus drivers will move to live in Mitchelstown, there has been no talk of Bus Éireann employees in other parts of the country being moved. It was announced that the headquarters of Bus Éireann would move to Mitchelstown and it would require 200 staff to run that head office whereas fewer than 100 staff are currently employed in the Dublin head office. I ask the Minister of State to be real in his comments.

I hope the Mitchelstown example will not be repeated in other projects. The Minister announced a figure of 12,000 or 14,000. We should start from the premise of working with facts. I am disappointed that the people of Mitchelstown are being conned by this Government. The figures as announced are a gross distortion of facts but I hope the 90 or 100 staff will move to Mitchelstown where they are needed and will be welcomed.

The Minister of State said there were complaints that the consultation process had gone on too long but it is a necessary process. In response to parliamentary questions asked over a year ago, there was an indication that approximately 10,000 civil servants had indicated a desire to move to provincial locations. There is a significant number of people both in Departments and in semi-State offices who would like to move to rural and provincial locations. It remains to be seen whether that desire to move can be married with the announcements. The indications from offices and particularly from head offices which are due to move, is that the numbers are not yet adding up. The programme of decentralisation is laudable but we must be realistic. I hope the figures I have presented in respect of Mitchelstown will not be replicated across other agencies and other Departments. I was impressed by the announcement to move 200 staff fromBus Éireann headquarters and I am disappointed to learn it was a mirage rather than a real project.