Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 168: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment 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. [20312/06]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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12 members of staff who have opted to remain in Dublin have been reassigned from decentralising sections. A further 176 members of staff who have opted to remain in Dublin remain to be reassigned.

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 169: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment 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. [20326/06]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has been making good progress in implementing its decentralisation programme. The Office of Public Works has completed the purchase of a site in Carlow town centre. The Office of Public Works, in conjunction with its legal advisers and the National Development Finance Agency, is finalising the documentation which is required in order to seek expressions of interest from developers in relation to the design, build, finance and maintenance of new office accommodation and car parking for the Department in Carlow. The OPW expects to be in a position to commence this stage in the process before the end of May 2006. On completion of this stage, a short-list of developers will be drawn up from whom tenders will be invited. Following the tender evaluation process the preferred tenderer will be requested to seek suitable planning permission. On obtaining this, the OPW will formally award the contract and construction will commence. The OPW expect construction to begin early in 2007 and the construction phase may take up to 24 months. In order to accommodate staff who wish to move earlier than the projected building completion date, officials of my Department, in consultation with the Department of Finance and the OPW, as well as decentralising staff and Business Units, are actively exploring the option of an earlier move to Carlow, subject to securing, high quality temporary accommodation. This latter option could allow for the movement of some decentralising staff to Carlow during the first half of next year.

Under the Government's decentralisation programme, FÁS is due to move its head office to Birr, County Offaly. FÁS is one of the seven State agencies identified as early movers by the Decentralisation Implementation Group from among the 30 agencies covered by the programme. The relocation, involving 383 staff, has a target date for Easter 2009. Negotiations with regard to the purchase of a site for FÁS in Birr are at contract stage, and are expected to be finalised shortly.

The Government has decided that the Headquarters of Enterprise Ireland, including 300 posts, will relocate to Shannon as part of the Decentralisation programme. The most immediate implementation step for Enterprise Ireland is to provide for a new HQ building, designed to meet the business needs of the organisation. Enterprise Ireland, working closely with the Office of Public Works (OPW), has identified but not yet acquired a preferred site from the submissions received by the OPW in relation to the Shannon location. The preferred site is a 13-acre site owned by Shannon Development. In addition, and in co-operation with Shannon Development and OPW, the site was valued and a feasibility study carried out. The site occupies a prime position near the centre of Shannon and is considered suitable for a major landmark building or civic structure related to the town centre. It is too early to comment definitively on a timescale for the transfer of Enterprise Ireland's headquarters to Shannon. The factors of significance in this regard will be the acquisition of property and the level of interest in the Shannon location expressed by CAF applicants. It will also be affected by progress made at a central level with regard to inter-agency transfers.

In regard to premises for the Health and Safety Authority in Thomastown, County Kilkenny, site procurement is in the final stages, and based on this, the HSA is estimating that the decentralisation move will take place by end 2008. The Authority is also actively seeking an interim base in Kilkenny city to accommodate circa 25 staff who are in the process of recruitment for the REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals) strategy and some serving staff who wish to move in advance of the Thomastown premises being available. All staff that may move in the interim to Kilkenny city will transfer to Thomastown when the premises are complete.

Finally, NSAI are working closely with OPW in identifying and securing suitable office accommodation in the Arklow area and the NSAI anticipate a target date of April 2009 as the completion date of its decentralisation plan.

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 170: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment 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. [20340/06]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is required to move 250 posts to Carlow under the Government's Decentralisation Programme and has been making good progress in implementing its programme. The Office of Public Works has completed the purchase of a site in Carlow town centre and is finalising the documentation required to seek expressions of interest from developers in relation to the design, build, finance and maintenance of new office accommodation for the Department in Carlow. Construction is expected to commence in early 2007 and the construction phase may take up to 24 months.

In order to accommodate staff who wish to move earlier than the projected building completion date, my Department is actively exploring the option of an earlier move to Carlow, subject to securing, high quality temporary accommodation. This latter option could allow for the movement of some decentralising staff to Carlow during the first half of next year.

There are approximately seven specialist skills posts included for relocation to Carlow and the position with regard to these posts is as follows: One Legal Adviser post in my Department is planned for relocation to Carlow. No Legal Adviser from my Department has to date expressed an interest in relocating to Carlow.

In addition, approximately six I.T. posts will be relocated to Carlow. There are currently two people with specialist I.T. skills who have indicated a willingness to relocate to Carlow. However, a number of staff from elsewhere in the Public Service seeking to decentralise to Carlow have I.T. skills.

My Department currently has 101 Carlow-bound applicants assigned to decentralising posts and we expect to have all decentralising posts filled in sufficient time to ensure that staff are adequately trained in advance of the move to Carlow.

Agency Decentralisation

Four of the Agencies under the aegis of my Department are due to decentralise as follows:

FÁS is to move 383 posts to Birr, Co. Offaly;

Enterprise Ireland is to move 292 posts to Shannon;

The Health and Safety Authority is to move 110 posts to Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny, and

The National Standards Authority of Ireland is to move 132 posts to Arklow, Co. Wicklow.

The following outlines the position regarding the posts of specialists skills for relocation in respect of each agency:

FÁS

FÁS is scheduled to relocate its Head Office to Birr by Easter 2009. 383 FÁS posts are scheduled for relocation. There is no sub-category for specialist posts.

Enterprise Ireland

The Government has decided that the Headquarters of Enterprise Ireland, including 300 posts, will relocate to Shannon as part of the Decentralisation programme. Of these posts, some 107 are in the technical and professional grades, while 25 are senior managers in general administrative grades with specialist skills and experience, giving a total of 132 posts in all.

The most recent information from the CAF indicates that 19 Enterprise Ireland staff have applied for decentralisation to Enterprise Ireland in Shannon. Of these,

∙seven are in technical and professional grades, based in Dublin, and in posts which have been identified for relocation to Shannon;

∙four are in technical and professional grades and are based outside Dublin and/or in posts that have not been designated for relocation to Shannon.

Health and Safety Authority

All specialist posts based in the Dublin Headquarters of the Health and Safety Authority i.e. inspector positions, are earmarked for decentralisation, but as part of their decentralisation plan the HSA have noted the need to maintain an office in Dublin to service the Dublin region which would require 34 specialists.

Currently the Authority has approximately 100 inspectors of whom in excess of 60% are based in Dublin. Of these, 7 have applied through CAF (Central Application Facility) to relocate. In addition, a number of specialist posts have also been filled on promotion on the basis of the final location of the post being Thomastown. 9 new inspectors have been recruited on the basis that their eventual location will be Thomastown.

In addition new staff in the course of recruitment for REACH (Registration Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals) will be based in Thomastown.

NSAI

Finally, in relation the National Standards Authority of Ireland, a total 132 staff are to be relocated to Arklow. NSAI has 74 posts of specialist skills planned for relocation under the decentralisation move to Arklow.

Currently 8 holders of these specialist posts have expressed their willingness to transfer with their posts to Arklow.

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 171: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment 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. [20362/06]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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No staff members have been assigned to my Department's decentralising location (Carlow), to date. However, there are currently 101 staff in the Department who are relocating to Carlow; 13 of whom are new recruits; none of whom are relocating on promotion.