Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 253: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of persons who have opted to remain in Dublin who have been reassigned from decentralising offices; and the numbers who remain to be assigned. [20317/06]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 254: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the date on which it is expected that each of the decentralisation moves within his Department or of agencies under his Department will be completed. [20331/06]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 255: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the posts of specialist skill which are planned for removal under the decentralisation move; and the number of those who have indicated a willingness to move their posts within units of and agencies under his Department. [20345/06]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 257: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of persons who have been assigned to each of the decentralised locations; the number of those who are new recruits; and the number moving on promotion. [20367/06]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 253 to 255, inclusive, and 257 together.

My Department's decentralisation programme runs from 2005 to 2009 and involves the transfer of over 900 posts from agencies and units under the aegis of my Department to seven locations around the country. To date, in respect of these 900 posts, 251 people have either transferred to the organisations concerned or have indicated a willingness to move to the decentralised locations. There are a range of posts which can be described as non-general service grades and to date, seven people have applied to move with their posts. Due to the varying timescales involved in my Department's programme and the fact that the Central Applications Facility remains open for business, these figures will be subject to change as the programme is rolled out. I fully anticipate that the numbers will rise as the programme develops.

At this stage in the implementation of the programme, the emphasis has been on the "early movers", namely the transfer of the Irish Prison Service to Longford, as well as the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner to Portarlington and sections of Garda Headquarters to Thurles. In the course of this particular exercise, 103 officers have opted to remain in Dublin, 43 of whom have been assigned and 60 people are in the process of being re-assigned within my Department.

As the Deputy will be aware, the precise timetable for my Department's decentralisation programme has been published in the most recent Report from the Decentralisation Implementation Group to the Minister for Finance, dated 30th June 2005. I am pleased to report that all these moves are on target and, indeed, the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner will now move to Portarlington before the end of 2006 instead of in 2008. The Private Security Authority has, of course, been operational in Tipperary Town since October, 2004.

The Deputy will also be aware that there has already been an advance move of the Garda Central Vetting Unit to Thurles in November 2005. Other advance moves to Thurles are also planned for this year which will bring the total number of posts in Thurles up to almost one hundred.

As regards assignments, the following table sets out the assignments to-date, together with the promotion and recruitment statistics.