Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 310: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number who have moved directly with their job in respect of assignments made within his Department to decentralised posts; the number who are new recruits recruited within the past 24 months; the number who have been appointed on promotion; and the additional personal costs to be associated with the move. [8233/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Government's decentralisation programme for the civil and public service, the Department's headquarter sections and the social welfare appeals office are scheduled to relocate to six locations — Sligo, Carrick-on-Shannon, Donegal, Buncrana, Carrickmacross and Drogheda. In addition, the Combat Poverty Agency and Comhairle, which operate under the aegis of the Department, are scheduled to relocate to Monaghan and Drogheda, respectively, under the programme.

The Public Appointments Service established the central applications facility, CAF, through which all applications for decentralising locations must be submitted. According to the data received in the Department from the CAF, the number of applicants that will move directly with their job to decentralised locations is 190 employees. To date, 16 posts have been relocated to Sligo under the decentralisation programme, with two employees of the Department moving directly with their jobs. The remaining posts, with the exception of two employees who transferred from other Departments, were filled by the lateral transfer of employees in the Department who had this location as their first preference on the CAF.

To date, four employees have been recruited as new recruits to this Department specifically for decentralised posts. Removal expenses are not payable for relocations associated with decentralisation. Discussions are ongoing between the Department of Finance and Civil Service unions and staff associations about the payment of a training allowance for staff who will have torelocate to a location other than a decentralising one for training purposes. Discussions are also ongoing about promotion arrangements in the context of decentralisation. The CAF will remain open for new applications until the full decentralisation programme is complete.