Michael Finucane (Fine Gael)

In 2003, the then Minister for Finance, Charlie McCreevy, said that if the Government had not decentralised 10,300 people by December 2006, it did not deserve to be re-elected. That is interesting because, to date, just over 600 people have been decentralised. The figure will be 700 by December. It is farcical in the extreme to continue to talk about decentralisation, to purchase land and to construct buildings. An example of this is Birr to which FÁS was due to centralise. Of the 390 FÁS employees, only two people who were recruited recently have volunteered to go. It is ludicrous and we need to look at the issue.

I saw in the newspaper this morning that Newcastle West is due to get 50 decentralised jobs which are included in the 600 figure. From information obtained during a recent Adjournment debate, Newcastle West will get 50 jobs in the Revenue Commissioners office in 2008. Almost all the 50 people are coming from the existing Revenue Commissioners office in Limerick city. I do not know of anybody who is coming from Dublin.

A few months ago a plaque was erected outside the location selected and the entire Progressive Democrats entourage from the county joined the Minister of State, Deputy Parlon, at the event. However, the jobs will not be decentralised to Newcastle West until 2008. The people are not even being trained in Newcastle West but are being trained in Limerick city in the existing Revenue Commissioners office. The decentralisation programme must be examined. The Government probably does not want to roll back on it because it has set an objective but reality and pragmatism are required.