Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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Question 104: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will report on the decentralisation process at the Health and Safety Authority; the number of staff who have formally expressed an interest in decentralising; the number of staff who have been decentralised; the number of specialist staff who have expressed an interest in decentralising; the number of specialist staff currently employed by the HSA; the number of staff required to decentralise; the progress made to date in securing a new office at Thomastown; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37735/06]

Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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The Health and Safety Authority is to move 110 posts to Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny. To date a total of 62 people (11 HSA staff, 41 Civil Servants, 10 Public Servants) have expressed an interest through the Central Application Facility (CAF) process in transferring to Thomastown.

In advance of decentralising to Thomastown, in August 2006 the Authority established an interim office in Kilkenny city. Fifteen staff, including staff recruited for the REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals) strategy, have recently relocated to that office in advance of moving to Thomastown. In addition, future staff, who will be recruited for the REACH strategy, will also be based in Thomastown. All staff that move in the interim to the Kilkenny office will transfer to Thomastown when the premises there are completed.

The Authority currently has approximately 110 specialist staff. 7 have applied to CAF to decentralise to Thomastown in addition to all newly recruited Dublin based Inspectors, including those recruited for REACH, referred to above, who are ultimately contracted to move to Thomastown.

The Authority has been advised by OPW that as the site procurement is in the final stages, the current timeline for availability for occupancy is late 2008.