Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 280: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has ascertained from all public service agencies involved in decentralisation the make-up of the 2,800 people who have taken up posts due to decentralise; the number of these who are transferring with their post from Dublin, who are transferring upon promotion and who are new recruits; and if he will set out the relevant data. [24681/07]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Government's decentralisation programme, the Development Cooperation 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 either been assigned to, or identified for, 100 posts or approximately 81% of the 124 posts scheduled to be decentralised. An advance party involving 53 of these officers has already decentralised to interim office premises in Limerick.

A total of 72 posts in the Directorate, including that of Director General, are filled by officers who have either decentralised to Limerick or signalled their intention to do so. Fifteen of these officers were already serving within the Department at the time of the announcement of the decentralisation programme in December, 2003. Another two were assigned to the Department by the Public Appointments Service and subsequently indicated their interest in decentralising. The remainder is made up of forty-two officers who have been recruited from other Departments via the Central Applications Facility for Limerick, ten who have been assigned from inter-departmental promotion panels and three newly-recruited officers.

In addition, there are currently 13 officers serving elsewhere in the Department, mostly abroad, who have also expressed an interest in decentralising to Limerick, and fifteen officers from other Departments, mainly based in provincial locations, who have applied to decentralise through the Central Applications Facility. These officers will be assigned to the Directorate on a phased basis closer to the time of the completion of the permanent premises.