Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 330: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when and the way he plans to proceed with decentralisation in his Department; the way it will be implemented; the resources that will be made available; the extent to which it will be implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18437/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Government decentralisation programme, this Department is due to decentralise all of its Dublin based headquarters sections, comprising some 1,210 staff, to six locations — Sligo, Carrick-on-Shannon, Drogheda, Buncrana, Donegal and Carrickmacross.

To date, under the decentralisation programme, 66 posts have relocated to Sligo and 62 posts to Carrick-on-Shannon. A further 68 posts will move to Carrick-on-Shannon over the coming months. All of the posts were filled by applicants on the Central Application Facility (CAF).

In their most recent report to the Minister for Finance, the Decentralisation Implementation Group has given the following indicative timescales for the Department's other locations — Carrickmacross end of 2008; Drogheda, Donegal Town and Buncrana in 2009. The Office of Public Works (OPW) has been charged with securing accommodation in the decentralised locations.

The resources for the decentralisation programme will be within the Department's Administrative Budget. The Department is committed to fulfilling its obligations under the programme.