Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 251: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the assessment carried out to date of the proposed decentralisation of the section dealing with development co-operation; the cost savings that are projected to be made; the percentage of existing staff in specialist and in non-specialist grades who have indicated a desire to move; and the risk factors identified in the assessment. [17838/05]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Government's decentralisation programme, announced in December 2003, the development co-operation directorate of the Department of Foreign Affairs, currently based in Dublin, is scheduled to decentralise to Limerick. This will involve the relocation of 123 posts and is scheduled to take place during the first quarter of 2007. Details of applications received for the posts in question, excluding applications from civil servants already serving in Limerick, are set out in the table which follows.

The Department is working closely with the Office of Public Works to identify suitable accommodation for the directorate in Limerick and it is hoped to select a premises in the near future. Pending that, it is not possible to estimate savings or additional costs.

The various issues arising from the Government decision, both for the Department in general and for the development co-operation directorate in particular, are considered in the Department's decentralisation implementation plan. Risk analysis carried out by the directorate in this context has identified several risk factors, for which appropriate risk mitigation strategies are being implemented: These are: financial, including accountability and control; human resources, including loss of expertise and institutional memory communications between the directorate and internal and external stakeholders; and associated operational and reputational risks The implementation plan, which has been published on the Department's website, www.dfa.ie, was recently revised to take account of the decision to include the directorate among the early movers.