Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Question 146: To ask the Minister for Finance the number of civil and public servants anticipated to have moved under the Government's decentralisation office relocation programme by 1 June 2007. [10159/07]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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A progress report by the Decentralisation Implementation Group (DIG) was submitted to me and published on 4th October last. The Group reported that implementation of the Decentralisation Programme is progressing satisfactorily. To date, over 2,400 staff had been assigned to decentralising posts. Approximately 800 of these are currently in place, in 17 new locations, while the remainder are being trained in advance of decentralisation to a new location, as soon as accommodation becomes available.

It is envisaged that by the end of 2007 public services will be delivered from 36 of the decentralisation towns with approximately 2,000 staff transferred. The precise numbers moving within that time frame and particularly by June 2007, will depend on the availability of property as well as timeframes for completion of fit out and installation of necessary ICT (information communications technology) and telecommunication cabling and equipment.