Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 241: To ask the Minister for Finance if a Dublin applications facility has been put in place for civil servants who wish to stay in Dublin; if his attention has been drawn to the large number of civil and public servants who do not wish to leave Dublin; his estimate of the number refusing to leave Dublin for each Department and State body; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37832/05]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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From the outset both the Government and I have made it clear that participation in the decentralisation programme is voluntary. Because of the nature of the programme it is not possible at this stage to estimate the number of civil and public servants who do not wish to leave Dublin, as individual circumstances are open to change and therefore figures can fluctuate. The picture will become clearer over the coming period as staff are assigned to decentralising organisations. As people who have applied to decentralise continue to be transferred into decentralising organisations, the posts they vacate are available to those wishing to remain in Dublin. People wishing to remain in Dublin are currently availing of these opportunities and are moving to the Dublin-based posts as they arise. It is hoped to extend these arrangements over the coming months.