Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 554: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government 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. [18432/07]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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The commitment to implement the Government's decentralisation programme was reaffirmed in the new Programme for Government.

Under the decentralisation programme, all Dublin based operations of my Department are being decentralised, with the exception of Met Éireann, ENFO, the Private Rented Tenancies Board and a small co-ordination section which it is proposed to retain in Dublin to assist with the Department's Dáil and other business. A total of 682 Dublin based posts will be transferred to four locations in the South East: Wexford (270 posts); Waterford (225 posts); New Ross (125 posts) and Kilkenny (62 posts). My Department's Decentralisation Implementation Plans, which are published on the Department's website at www.environ.ie, outline the sections and the overall numbers which are due to decentralise to the respective locations in the South East. As outlined in the most recent Progress Report (September 2006) from the Decentralisation Implementation Group, the indicative timescales for the completion of the Department's offices in Wexford, Kilkenny, New Ross and Waterford are Quarter 3 2008, End 2008, Quarter 4 2009 and Quarter 3 2010 respectively.

The Office of Public Works has responsibility for the procurement of the necessary office accommodation to support the programme. My Department established an advance office in Wexford comprising about 40 staff which has been operational since 25 June 2007. Progress continues in relation to my Department's permanent office in Wexford with the construction contract signed by the OPW on 20 June 2007 and work expected to commence in the coming weeks. Work also continues in relation to management of staff transfers into and out of my Department in preparation for the move to Wexford and to the other locations in the South East.