John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 94: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the reason the decentralisation of Irish Aid will take place on a phased basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25170/06]

Michael Noonan (Limerick East, Fine Gael)
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Question 99: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the timescale for the decentralisation of divisions within his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25158/06]

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)
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Question 104: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the progress which has been made in the decentralisation of his Department's overseas aid division, Irish Aid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25211/06]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 115: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of staff, working with Irish Aid, volunteering to decentralise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25162/06]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 122: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on the decentralisation of his Department and it's overseas aid division, Irish Aid; if he will clarify reported remarks that his Department are pursuing a very strong integrationist agenda and that the decentralisation of Irish Aid will take place on a phased basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24945/06]

Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 94, 99, 104, 115 and 122 together.

Under the Government's decentralisation programme, the Development Cooperation Directorate of the Department of Foreign Affairs, which is Irish Aid's Headquarters and currently based in Dublin, will decentralise to Limerick. Already, a total of 37 posts in Irish Aid Headquarters, including that of Director General, are filled by officers who have signalled their intention to decentralise to Limerick. A further fifteen officers are expected to take up duty at headquarters by early September and six officers serving elsewhere in the Department, mostly abroad, have also applied to decentralise to Limerick. The above total of 58 represents some 47% of the posts being transferred to Limerick.

It is expected that the move will take place in mid-2007. With any move of 124 staff, management concerns would dictate that the move be carried out in a manner that will minimise disruption. This may mean that there is some phasing of the move over a relatively short period of time.

Irish Aid's development assistance programme will remain an integral part of the foreign policy of the Government of Ireland. Development co-operation policy is rooted in our foreign policy, in particular its objectives of peace and justice and reflects our long-standing commitment to human rights and fairness in international relations and as such is inseparable from Irish foreign policy as a whole.