Willie Penrose (Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 229: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the position of the decentralisation plans by her Department to decentralise 300 personnel to Mullingar; if a site has been acquired to allow same to progress; if an advance party of 90 to 100 will be allowed to come to Mullingar to temporary accommodation in order to commence the process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12174/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I understand that the Office of Public Works, which is charged with procuring accommodation for the programme of decentralisation, has signed a contract in respect of a suitable site in Mullingar which will accommodate the decentralisation of 300 posts in my Department.

As I have previously stated, I will keep the feasibility of sending a smaller number of posts to Mullingar in advance of the main decentralisation under review. However, I must do this in the context of the potential impact of an accelerated rate of decentralisation on the business of my Department, particularly as the other element of the decentralisation of my Department, the relocation of 100 posts to Athlone, will happen next year.