Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 324: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of civil servants based in Dublin who have applied for decentralisation, who have been transferred to their decentralising post and are actually in position in the decentralised location outside of Dublin; and the locations and the number of civil servants transferred from a Dublin post who are at such locations. [24433/07]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 325: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of civil servants and other public servants who have relocated to locations outside of Dublin under the Government's decentralisation programme; the estimated number of each category who will have relocated by the end of 2007; if he will break each set of figures down in terms of those who are relocating from Dublin and relocating from elsewhere; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24447/07]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 324 and 325 together.

Under the Government's decentralisation programme, the Development Co-operation Directorate of the Department of Foreign Affairs, which is Irish Aid's Headquarters, will decentralise to Limerick. This is scheduled to take place in early 2008 on completion and fit-out of the permanent premises in Henry Street. It will involve the relocation to Limerick of 124 posts. Good progress has been made and personnel have been assigned to, or identified for, 100 posts or approximately 81% of the 124 posts scheduled to be decentralised. An advance party involving 53 staff has already decentralised to interim office premises in Limerick. Some 48 of them were Dublin-based applicants and the remaining five were from provincial locations. It is expected that one additional Dublin-based applicant will transfer to Limerick before the end of 2007.

The latest figures available — in July 2007 — indicate that some 184 officers from across the Civil Service have chosen Limerick as their first preference for decentralisation. However, other officers may have chosen Limerick as a lower preference i.e. anything from 2nd to 10th preference. It is in the nature of the process that the numbers involved change over time as more applications are received and as assignments are made, or as some of those who applied withdraw or amend their applications.