Pat Moylan (Fianna Fail)

Senator McDowell spoke about Dublin people but there is an enormous number of people who want to move to different parts of the country. The Minister of State said there were approximately 10,600 people working in the Civil Service who have signed up to decentralisation. The vast majority of them are probably in Dublin. In the recent past, up to 13,000 civil servants have decentralised to destinations all over the country and have settled in well. They were made welcome and have made a major contribution to rural Ireland.

I welcome the decentralisation programme. There may be human resource problems with FÁS and its proposed move to Birr but the staff should visit Birr and the county as a whole to see the schools, shops and so forth, which are the best in the midlands. Information technology developments will ensure that decentralisation to the county will be unproblematic.

I do not blame civil servants for fighting a battle relating to decentralisation. There may well be some rewards for their unions in ensuring they receive extra remuneration. Great opportunities exist for civil servants.

Although speakers have commented on the loss of expertise in some Departments, it must be remembered no one is indispensable and everyone can be replaced. Many young well-educated people are coming through the education system who can fill those vacancies. Civil servants may well have to move from one Department to another if they do not wish to decentralise. The programme will work; hopefully sooner rather than later. I understand it cannot happen overnight and that the process will take time. The Office of Public Works and the Department of Finance must secure proper sites and ensure compliance with all planning guidelines.

When the tendering process begins, I hope much work will be done through public-private partnerships. Builders have never been so busy but I hope they will realise the opportunities that exist in decentralisation. In the past building a school was a protracted procedure. That has changed with many builders willing and able to move ahead in the public-private partnership model. When the Minister of State, Deputy Parlon, reaches that stage of the programme, great progress will be made. I wish him and his officials well in pursuing it.

Costs must to be considered. If good office accommodation can be secured in rural towns and a Department's business can be carried on, why should we hold up valuable office accommodation in Dublin that costs ten times more? Although the Government is quickly criticised for budget overruns, the future savings from the programme must be considered. The Minister of State has outlined several valuable sites in Dublin that will be sold. That money will be put to great use. Although it may not be put into the decentralisation programme, valuable use can be made of it in looking after much-needed services.

I wholeheartedly welcome decentralisation to Birr, Tullamore, Edenderry, Portlaoise and Portarlington. I compliment the Minister for Finance, Deputy Cowen, and the Minister of State, Deputy Parlon, who represent the Laois-Offaly constituency on their work on decentralisation. There is no doubt that they will ensure the programme will come to fruition nationwide. It is about the contributions that Departments and agencies will make to cities and towns outside of Dublin.

I wish the Minister of State at the Department of Finance and his officials well with the implementation of the decentralisation programme. I accept Members from Dublin will defend their home city. However, I assure Senator McDowell that had we not to leave for the bus last week, Offaly would have taken Dublin out of the football too.