Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 384: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the assessment of the financial implications of decentralisation which have been carried out and, in particular, if the financial implications of the cost of training and additional staff during the on-the-job training in period; the cost of new recruitment to meet gaps in suitable applicants for the decentralised location; the cost of additional promotions to fill the positions required; if the cost of delays in redeploying staff who opt not to move with their post and cost of retraining and redeployment have been identified in respect of the proposed moves (details supplied). [32596/05]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Government's decentralisation programme, 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 to Limerick of 123 posts and is scheduled to take place during the first quarter of 2007.

While a small number of staff are involved in the management of the decentralisation programme for this Department, no new staff were recruited for this purpose and the salary costs of the staff involved are being borne from within existing resources. Training costs are not expected to be significant as most of the planned formal training courses, including a comprehensive induction programme for new staff, are being provided in-house. Officers who transfer to posts which are decentralising will also be provided with detailed role profiles and will, in most cases, receive some on-the-job training from those already in situ. The extent to which it will be possible to provide overlaps, and therefore the cost of these, is not yet clear.

Officers currently based in the directorate who decide not to decentralise to Limerick will be redeployed to other divisions or to other Departments or offices, in line with arrangements agreed between the Department of Finance and the unions. No additional costs are expected to arise under this heading. As the number of applications for the administrative positions advertised for Limerick exceeds the number required, the need to fill any gaps appears very unlikely.

The Office of Public Works, OPW, is responsible for the provision of office accommodation for the directorate in Limerick and will bear its rental costs. The Department is working closely with the OPW to identify suitable accommodation in Limerick and it is hoped to select a premises in the very near future. Pending this, it is not possible to estimate the level of costs which the Department will incur in the provision of the information and communications technology infrastructure and in other areas.

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 385: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the audit committee of his Department or its agencies have reviewed the risk management assessment of the proposed decentralisation proposals of the overseas development unit; if it has approved the assessment or made any recommendations for revising the risk assessment or changing the proposed risk mitigation strategies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32604/05]

Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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The Department of Foreign Affairs has published its second implementation plan for the decentralisation of Development Co-operation Ireland to Limerick. This plan includes risk mitigation strategies. The Department's audit committee has discussed the issue of decentralisation and has reviewed the associated risk assessment. In September 2005, the audit committee published its annual report for 2004, a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas Library and this report includes comments on decentralisation and on the associated risk assessment. The Department will take into account the comments of the audit committee in the implementation of the decentralisation strategy.