Tom Parlon (Laois-Offaly, Progressive Democrats)

I am delighted to attend the House again to update Members on the progress of the public service decentralisation programme.

I will begin by reiterating the Government's commitment to the full implementation of the programme. Since I last addressed the House on the matter I am happy to report that a number of key developments have taken place and that real progress is being made on all fronts. Significant numbers of civil servants will move this year under the programme as a result of these developments. Decentralisation for those who have volunteered will soon become a reality.

One of the aspects all commentators acknowledge is the scale of the implementation task. This ambitious programme involves the relocation of over 10,300 public servants to 58 towns outside Dublin. Over 50 civil and public service organisations are included in the programme. It touches on many of our most important public services and includes the relocation of ministerial offices and the headquarters of eight Departments. It is a challenging objective but one which I, my colleagues in Government and the members of the decentralisation implementation group are increasingly confident the public service can deliver, and deliver well.

Many aspects of the programme are worth re-emphasising. This is a popular programme with many people expressing an interest in either relocating in their current position or transferring to a new organisation that is moving out of Dublin. We now have over 10,600 applications from civil and public servants who wish to relocate.

The central applications facility continues to receive new applications every week. In all, more than 1,500 people have applied on the central applications facility for decentralisation since the closing date for priority applications. It is anticipated that interest will increase further as building and movement timetables firm up.

Site or building negotiations have been completed in 13 locations. Contracts have been received for an additional ten locations. Suitable sites have been identified in a further 15 locations and negotiations to acquire have either commenced or are close to commencement in these locations. By this time next year, the Office of Public Works anticipates that builders will be on site in 16 locations. Each location requires a brief of requirements to be agreed with the organisation concerned, site selection to be concluded, detailed tender specifications to be drawn up and a public procurement process to be completed. As we all know, the purchasing of land, sites and buildings is not an area that allows for definite dates to be set in stone. In this regard, the OPW is currently reviewing its indicative dates for completion of building in light of its experience to date.

In addition to the progress made in negotiating permanent solutions in many locations, I am delighted to see that a number of organisations are being progressive in seeking advance or temporary accommodation to facilitate early moves. These developments will greatly assist the decentralising Departments in taking in many of the civil servants who are currently based in provincial locations, thus giving the organisation a foothold in the location.

Discussions are continuing, and indeed have progressed, on a number of human resource and industrial relations issues. Actual movement of staff within and between Departments and offices is now under way, with over 1,200 staff already assigned to posts which will decentralise.

All Departments and offices have produced implementation plans setting out the detailed arrangements they are putting in place to plan for relocation while also ensuring business continuity and effective delivery of services to customers. The plans are comprehensive and their preparation involved detailed reviews of business processes as well as the logistics of the move. During the latter half of last year the implementation group held a series of meetings with Secretaries General of Departments involved in the programme to discuss the planning framework in place, assess progress to date and hear about the challenges arising and steps proposed to address them. Following this round of discussions, in a recent interview I understand the chairman of the group confirmed his earlier view that senior civil servants are leading the implementation of this programme in a professional and carefully planned manner and, at the same time, are availing of opportunities to improve both their business processes and their delivery of services in conjunction with decentralisation.

We must remember also that decentralisation is nothing new to the Civil Service. At present there are in excess of 13,000 civil servants working in a variety of locations outside Dublin. Members are probably aware of the successful decentralisation of Revenue's collection services, the payments sections of the Department of Social and Family Affairs and the finance areas of the Department of Agriculture and Food. While not on the same scale as the current programme, these were significant movements. The learning from these previous moves has built up an expertise in inducting large numbers of new staff, the effective transfer of knowledge and skills and ensuring quality customer service in the transition phase. This learning is proving invaluable in planning and executing the current programme.

The initial timescale mooted for the decentralisation programme was, quite rightly, an ambitious one. That initial timeframe has been very helpful as a catalyst for progress. The initial focus on a three-year period has greatly assisted in getting preparations off the ground quickly and has been a key factor in delivering the progress evident to date.

Departments are following the implementation group's approach to phasing arrangements for the programme, which makes sense. The group identified 21 Civil Service locations across 17 counties for the first phase of moves. These locations were selected on the basis of an assessment of progress on property acquisition, numbers applying and business readiness to move. The selection was also informed by the implementation plans prepared by each organisation, and the group's recommendations were accepted by the Government. This is a practical, sensible approach and is not in any way a reflection on the Government's commitment to the overall programme, as some commentators have suggested. While on this point I must say I have been astounded at the inaccuracy of some of the commentary on the programme and the distortion of figures by various people.

Indicative timeframes on a further 24 Civil Service locations, which were not announced in the first phase of moves, were provided by the group in its June 2005 report. However, the programme should not be seen as divided into discrete phases. While the most immediate preparations may take place in organisations with early mover status, the remaining organisations will also continue to plan their business, staffing and property solutions in readiness for moving.

Decentralisation is already a reality in a number of locations. People have moved and more will follow. Advance moves have already taken place to date to Sligo, Portlaoise, Thurles, Tipperary town and Na Forbacha, in Galway. As mentioned above, there are over 1,200 individuals in situ in posts that will relocate both during this year and in 2007.

On current indications, the implementation group anticipates that by the end of 2009, almost 7,000 civil and public servants will have relocated under the programme. The managing of moves within this timeframe is a complex task involving a large number of interrelated elements. I am none the less confident that the implementation group will continue to monitor the programme to ensure there are no undue slippages or delays and that, if they arise, they are properly managed.

The issue of effective transfer of knowledge and skills is central to business continuity in the transition phase. A central feature of planning to date is the documentation of business processes in preparation for transfer of knowledge to, and the training of, new staff. The Department of Finance publishes monthly figures on its website showing that staff are now being actively assigned to decentralising posts. The early assignment of staff, on a phased basis, should be a priority for organisations to ensure they balance the pace of integration with their business needs and customer service obligations. The good lead-in time recognises that in many cases only a small number of staff are moving with their present jobs and that there must be adequate time to build up expertise in new staff. This has been done successfully in previous rounds of decentralisation and I am confident it will happen again this time.

Each early-mover organisation is canvassing those who have expressed a second or lower preference for particular locations. This is allowing opportunities for staff to change their first preference to an early-mover location where that location is undersubscribed. Movement right across the Civil Service has been a feature of previous successful decentralisation programmes. Recent media references to only one in nine staff moving with their posts as part of this programme do not properly reflect the circumstances on the ground. This statistic is continuously being touted by those opposed to decentralisation, who are hell-bent on confusing everybody, including themselves.