Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 21: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that just 81 people have applied for the 805 decentralised positions with his Department; his views on the reason for the poor response. [9588/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Under the Government's decentralisation programme all Dublin based operations of my Department are being decentralised, with the exception of Met Éireann, ENFO, the Private Rented Tenancies Board and a small co-ordination section which it is proposed to retain in Dublin to assist with the Department's Dáil and other business. The programme involves the relocation of my Department's operations to four locations in the south east, namely, Wexford, Waterford, New Ross and Kilkenny.

At this stage a total of 195 staff, in respect of 661 posts to be decentralised and which are fillable through the CAF, have confirmed their availability to decentralise to the south east. Some 70 of these are now in the Department and the process of agreeing arrangements for the early transfer of the others to the Department has commenced. My Department is continuing the process of contacting other staff who applied for one of the four locations as a second or subsequent choice or who applied after 7 September 2004, the date for receipt of priority applications.

My Department is co-operating with the Department of Finance, the decentralisation implementation group, and the Office of Public Works to ensure the Government's decentralisation programme is implemented efficiently and effectively. A decentralisation implementation team has been established to oversee the arrangements for the transfer of the Department's Dublin based staff to the four locations.

Implementation plans, setting out the issues to be addressed in implementing the decentralisation programme for this Department, have been submitted to the decentralisation implementation group. These plans are also published on my Department's website at www.environ.ie.

In relation to property requirements I have recently announced that my Department has reached agreement with OPW on the site for its headquarters in Wexford, which will be acquired from Wexford Borough Council. As regards the remaining three locations the Office of Public Works is evaluating site options at present.