Joe Callanan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 241: To ask the Minister for Finance the number of the civil servants who have applied for decentralisation and who have selected Ballinasloe as a lower preference than first with regard to the decentralisation process; the number of persons who had Ballinasloe as either their second, third, fourth, fifth or sixth choice. [13320/05]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The central applications facility was set up to receive applications from civil and public servants to participate in the decentralisation programme. From the outset, the terms on which the facility operates have been the subject of detailed discussions with the Civil Service unions. Based on these discussions, all applicants were allowed to nominate a total of ten locations to which they would like to transfer, in order of preference. All of the material published and provided to Departments to date refers solely to the first preference choice of applicants. Following a recent agreement with the Civil Service unions on a protocol to govern interdepartmental transfers, Departments have commenced transferring staff on the basis of their first preference choice only.

The agreed protocol provides that when all first preference applications have been processed by way of interdepartmental transfer and shortfalls still exist, those applicants who nominated a location with a shortfall as their second and subsequent preferences will be offered positions. In the interim, details on the number of applicants who have applied for each location as their second to tenth preferences are not available.