Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 169: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the position in regard to the number of his Department's Dublin based staff who have applied through the central applications facility for decentralisation to the proposed new locations for his Department at Kilkenny, New Ross and Wexford; the grades of the staff who have applied; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3904/05]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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A total of 495 applications had been received at the central applications facility, CAF, priority cut off date on 7 September 2004, in respect of the 661 posts to be decentralised from my Department's Dublin offices and which are fillable through the CAF.

A total of 31 staff from my Department's Dublin offices, as detailed in the following table, have applied for decentralisation to the Department's proposed four locations in the south east, Wexford, Kilkenny, New Ross and Waterford. Some 139 staff of my Department have also applied for decentralisation to other Departments or agencies.

My Department has drawn up and submitted to the decentralisation implementation group an implementation plan which sets out the broad issues to be addressed in implementing the decentralisation programme for this Department. A revised implementation plan will be submitted to the group by 31 March 2005.

The Department will be co-operating with the Department of Finance, the implementation group and the Office of Public Works to ensure the Government's decentralisation programme is implemented efficiently and effectively. Following the recent Government decision on the first phase of moves under the programme, the transfer of my Department's headquarters to Wexford is included in the list of those organisations considered potential "early movers".