Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 64: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the status of his Department's decentralisation programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36624/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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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: Wexford, Waterford, New Ross and Kilkenny.

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

At this stage a total of 226 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. 120 of these are now serving in my Department and the process of agreeing arrangements for the early transfer of the others to the Department has commenced.

As outlined in the most recent Progress Report (September 2006) from the Decentralisation Implementation Group, the indicative timescales for the completion of the Departments offices in Wexford, Kilkenny, New Ross and Waterford are Quarter 3 2008, End 2008, Quarter 4 2009 and Quarter 3 2010 respectively. The Office of Public Works are currently assessing tenders for the construction of the Department's Headquarters in Wexford.