Written answers

Wednesday, 15 November 2006

Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment

Decentralisation Programme

9:00 pm

Gay Mitchell (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 156: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his view of the decision by Enterprise Ireland to take out a 25 year lease on two office blocks in Dublin to accommodate 600 staff, even though the State agency is supposed to move to Shannon under the Government's decentralisation programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37932/06]

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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On the 13th September 2006 Enterprise Ireland (EI) signed the lease for a single site Dublin office in the East Point Business Park. The agency plans to have completed the move to the new office by the end of December 2007. Currently, Enterprise Ireland occupies four office locations in Dublin, primarily as a result of the amalgamation of various state agencies over a number of years into a single organisation to support indigenous enterprise. The lease on two of these buildings will expire in Quarter 4 2008 necessitating the move to a single site. The East Point building will accommodate all of EI's currently Dublin based staff of approximately 600.

From an operational perspective, occupying four separate locations in Dublin was sub-optimal especially for an Agency mandated to provide a range of services and expertise across several critical business functions in a holistic fashion. Crucially, having all Dublin based Agency staff in one location will enable Enterprise Ireland to further deliver on one of its most important new initiatives, the creation of integrated teams of staff with complementary expertise to service client companies. Locating Dublin based staff in a single location will significantly increase the level of collaboration within the organisation which will enable Enterprise Ireland to deliver a more effective service to client companies.

To facilitate moving to one Enterprise Ireland office in Dublin, EI has taken a normal commercial 25 year lease on two office units in East Point. The lease has in-built break clauses and a clause to enable the Agency to sub-let space, if required, to meet its on-going accommodation needs. The break clauses demonstrate the fact that EI remains focused on delivering on the Government's decision to relocate 300 EI staff to Shannon.

Enterprise Ireland, working closely with the Office of Public Works (OPW), has identified, but not yet acquired, a preferred site for the construction of a new HQ building in Shannon. The preferred site is a 13-acre site owned by Shannon Development. In co-operation with Shannon Development and the OPW, the site was valued and a feasibility study carried out. It is not possible, at this stage, to say with certainty when the full move of Enterprise Ireland's HQ will take place. Influencing factors regarding the timing of the move to Shannon include the level of interest in the Shannon location expressed by CAF applicants and suitable transfer arrangements being established. In the interim, Enterprise Ireland is to relocate its Regional Development Headquarter activities to Shannon. These activities will include the existing Shannon Development activities relating to indigenous enterprises and support functions and the new Enterprise Ireland County Enterprise Board Co-ordination Unit.

Also, from January 2007, Enterprise Ireland will be responsible for the development of indigenous industry in the Mid West Region. This will involve the transfer of a number of Shannon Development staff to Enterprise Ireland. EI plans to establish interim office accommodation in the region, to accommodate both the Shannon Development staff and EI HQ staff, by mid 2007. Between the EI staff moving to Shannon and the transfer of Shannon Development staff to EI, there will be approximately 70 EI staff located in Shannon by mid-2007.

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