Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 151: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the number of civil and public servants on a county basis who have been relocated in accordance with the Government's programme for decentralisation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18903/05]

Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)
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The Government's programme involves the relocation of the Department's headquarters to Cavan, the seafood and coastal zone functions to Clonakilty and the maritime safety directorate and the Irish Coast Guard to Drogheda. In addition, Bord Iascaigh Mhara, BIM, is relocating to Clonakilty, Sustainable Energy Ireland, SEI, to Dundalk and the Central Fisheries Board, CFB, to Carrick-on-Shannon.

Physically relocating people depends on providing accommodation in the decentralised locations and this is a matter for the Office of Public Works, OPW. The decentralisation implementation group, DIG, has set out a timetable of late 2006 for facilities in Drogheda and early 2007 for completion of Department and BIM facilities, in Clonakilty. SEI's move to Dundalk is scheduled for early 2007. The Department is working closely with the OPW towards delivering on this schedule. The DIG has not yet set a timetable in regard to Cavan and Carrick-on-Shannon. However, we are also progressing the moves to these locations.

The Department and its agencies already have a well-established decentralised dimension with staff and services based in 25 locations right around the country. Given the property situation it has not yet been possible to relocate any of our staff under the Government's decentralisation programme.

However, the Department is progressing preparations for staff transfers both internally and with other Departments, in advance of full physical relocation. In this regard the Public Appointments Service, PAS, has advised there are 140 expressions of interest for the 90 Department posts in Clonakilty and 36 for the 94 BIM posts. There are 71 expressions of interest for the 47 Drogheda posts and 176 for the 378 Cavan posts. A further 59 people have expressed interest in the 39 SEI posts in Dundalk, while 45 are interested in the 62 CFB posts in Carrick-on-Shannon.