Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 205: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs 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. [18909/05]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will be aware that, under the decentralisation programme, my Department will be decentralising to two locations, namely, Knock Airport and Na Forbacha in Galway, which is an existing decentralised location. In addition, it is proposed that staff of two bodies, reporting to my Department, ADM and Foras na Gaeilge, will relocate — ADM to Clifden, County Galway and Foras na Gaeilge to Gaoth Dobhair, County Donegal.

Relocation can only take place when suitable accommodation is in place. My Department is committed to completing the relocation process to Knock Airport by 2007. This timescale is dependent on the Office of Public Works encountering no delays in the planning and building processes involved in providing the required accommodation.

Temporary accommodation is currently available in Na Forbacha and relocation is subject to the availability of staff with fluency in Irish becoming available through the CAF mechanism. Prior to the announcement of the Government's plan for decentralisation in December 2003, I had decided to relocate some of the work of my Department from Dublin to Galway. Under this initiative, five posts have been relocated to date. The OPW is also in the process of securing a site in Clifden to accommodate staff of ADM.

Foras na Gaeilge is a North-South implementation body and the re-location of staff of the body to Gaoth Dobhair is subject to the agreement of the North-South Ministerial Council, NSMC. The relevant issues that require examination prior to submission of the question to the NSMC are being pursued on an ongoing basis.