Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 68: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the timescale for the decentralisation of divisions within his Department; the number of civil servants who have signalled their intention to decentralise; the units in which same are currently employed; the units to which same wish to decentralise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2570/06]

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, will decentralise to Limerick. This is scheduled to take place during the first quarter of 2007.

Already 24 posts in the directorate, including that of director general, are filled by officers who have signalled their intention to decentralise to Limerick. Nine of these officers were already serving within the Department at the time of the announcement of the decentralisation programme in December 2003. The remainder is made up of nine officers who have been recruited from other Departments via the central applications facility for Limerick, four who have been assigned from inter-departmental promotion panels and two newly recruited officers.

In addition, there are currently 15 officers serving elsewhere in the Department, mostly abroad, who have also expressed an interest in decentralising to Limerick. These officers will be assigned to the directorate on a phased basis. The process of recruiting further staff for Limerick via the central applications facility is now being accelerated. The aim is that by the second half of 2006 most posts in the directorate will be filled by staff who will decentralise to Limerick. The total of 39 represents some 31% of the posts being transferred to Limerick.

Since my last reply to a parliamentary question on this issue, six specialist staff have withdrawn their applications to decentralise to Limerick. Discussions are ongoing with representatives of the specialists, with their union IMPACT, and with the Department of Finance about the conditions of service that will be applicable to those specialists who decentralise with the directorate to Limerick and those who choose to remain in Dublin. This issue, of course, also has a wider Civil Service dimension.