Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 72: To ask the Minister for Finance the assessment carried out to date of the proposed decentralisation in respect of Ordnance Survey Ireland; the cost savings which 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. [20456/05]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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As I have previously stated, all organisations that are decentralising, including Ordnance Survey Ireland, OSI, have prepared and submitted an implementation plan as requested by the decentralisation implementation group, DIG. The plan was circulated to all staff and has been placed on the OSI intranet.

The report by Deloitte, A Financial Assessment of Decentralisation Costs and Savings, published in October 2004 included the broad areas of costs and savings likely to arise with the decentralisation programme. While the OSI plan did not attempt to identify or assess any specific cost savings that might be made, it should be noted that the current OSI headquarters office complex attracts a higher than normal level of expenditure on maintenance and repairs due to the ageing nature of the buildings. At some point the acquisition of a new building or a major refurbishment project for the existing buildings would have become unavoidable. This would be a factor in any assessment of costs.

The data from the central applications facility, CAF, published in September 2004 showed that a total of 15 staff, three general service and 12 non-general service, within OSI have indicted a desire to move to Dungarvan with the OSI while 66, six general service and 60 non-general service, have indicated a desire to decentralise elsewhere in the country to other State bodies or Departments. Recruitment procedures for routine vacancies, which currently arise, ensure that the incoming employees are willing to decentralise to Dungarvan with the OSI. The OSI's implementation plan includes material on all issues to be addressed and incorporates specific risk assessment and mitigation strategies. Possible risk areas referred to in the plan range from transfer of knowledge and migration of IT systems to a new location.