Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 256: To ask the Minister for Finance the number of civil or public servants redeployed under the Government's programme of decentralisation; if he will express this as a percentage of the total original estimate of personnel to be relocated; the costs associated to date with the decentralisation programme; the original deadline for the completion of the decentralisation programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8213/06]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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To date, more than 1,150 civil servants have been assigned to decentralising posts. This represents 16% of the overall number of approximately 7,200 Civil Service posts earmarked for decentralisation. Many of them are located in Dublin for a transition period to enable effective transfer of skills and knowledge and to ensure quality customer service continues to be delivered as decentralisation is rolled out. A small number of advance moves have taken place to decentralised locations, including Sligo, Portlaoise, Athlone, Thurles, Tipperary town and na Forbacha in Galway.

The target timescales set for the programme when it was first announced were very ambitious. That approach has been very helpful as a catalyst for progress and has been instrumental in delivering the progress evident to date. I refer the Deputy to the decentralisation implementation group's July 2005 report, which identified progress relating to property, implementation planning, numbers of applicants and human resources and industrial relations issues. In line with the group's approach to phasing, the report provided indicative construction start and completion dates for the procurement of office accommodation in the new locations. The full contents of this report can be accessed at www.decentralisation.gov.ie. The final construction dates can only be confirmed when the tender process has been completed in respect of each location and they are contingent on the level and quality of market interest in respect of sites, successful negotiation of contracts, receipt of acceptable planning permissions, timely completion of briefs and successful acquisition of suitable sites. The OPW is updating the position on the property aspects of the programme in light of experience to date.

When details of the Government's decentralisation programme were first announced in budget 2004, it was stated the overall objective would be to ensure property acquired at regional level would be matched as closely as possible, both in time and in cost terms, by the disposal of property held in the Dublin region, whether on lease or otherwise. In November 2004, the implementation group submitted a report on the procurement methodology and financial assessment of the property aspects of the programme, including a financial model, based on a property finance study carried out by the OPW. While the prevailing property market conditions in each area will have a bearing on cost, this model indicates that the break even position on property will be reached in approximately 20 years. The latest information available from the OPW suggests that the total amount committed in principle to date by the OPW on site acquisition costs, excluding VAT, is approximately €36.3 million.

With regard to other non-property aspects of the programme, a report was prepared by Deloitte & Touche at the request of the implementation group. This report provided a model for identifying non-property costs and savings that might arise both during the relocation phase and in the context of a post-decentralised civil service. Decentralising organisations have been asked to use this model to make periodic reports identifying costs incurred and savings made since the programme was announced and going forward. I do not anticipate, however, at this stage that these costs will be significant.