Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 104: To ask the Minister for Finance if the issue of confining promotions to only persons willing to decentralise has been modified as a result of recent Labour Court hearings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7943/06]

Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Question 111: To ask the Minister for Finance his views on the implications of the Labour Court decision regarding FÁS's breach of agreed industrial relations procedures on the Government's decentralisation programme; the Departments and divisions in which applications have been withdrawn in the past six months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7931/06]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 104 and 111 together.

I am aware that, in its recent recommendation in a dispute between SIPTU and FÁS concerning decentralisation and FÁS contracts of employment, the Labour Court expressed the opinion that FÁS was in breach of the consultation procedure provided for in the company-union industrial relations procedure agreement. However, the court went on to recommend that the matter be referred back to the appropriate central body, at which the issues should be teased out with a view to arriving at agreed long-term solutions, in consultation with all the parties involved. I am confident that this will lead to a resolution of the issues in dispute.

The Public Appointments Service estimates that a small proportion of the 10,600 applications, approximately 380, have been withdrawn from the central applications facility to date. In view of the nature of the programme and the timescales involved, individual circumstances are open to change and therefore application status can fluctuate as the programme is rolled out. The picture will become clearer over the coming period as staff are assigned to decentralising organisations.

The Deputy may be interested to note that there continues to be, each week, new applications from individuals wishing to decentralise under the Government's programme.