Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 151: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the plans he has to close down the Regional Office of his Department based in Longford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18988/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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My Department reviews on a continuing basis the organisational arrangements for the delivery of its services, to meet the changing demands of customers, to avail of the benefits of new technology and to accommodate changes such as decentralisation. Over the next twelve months, my Department will be required to assign and redeploy a number of staff at Principal level to address requirements arising from decentralisation, new work and retirements.

In this context it has recently been decided to realign the regional boundaries which will also involve a reduction in the overall number of regions. My Department has decided to subsume the Midlands region into a number of contiguous regions as the initial phase of a process of re-organising the regional structure.

The second phase of this reorganisation which will be implemented in 2007, will involve the consolidation of the three Dublin regions into two regions.

The Regional Manager in the Midlands region has been re-assigned to the Social Welfare Services Office in Longford and the other four staff in the Regional Office will also be re-assigned in Longford. This re-organisation will not affect the work location of staff generally or their day-to-day functions but it will result in a new reporting management structure in a number of instances. Arrangements are being put in place currently to ensure that the new management structures are quickly put in place.

Service delivery to customers will not be affected in any way and the existing range of services provided in the Midlands will be maintained.