Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 730: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the status of the decentralisation programme for her Department to date; the number of staff due to decentralise to each identified location; the number who have decentralised to each location to date; the number of staff within her Department who have indicated a wish to decentralise to each of the identified locations to date; the number of staff from other Departments who have indicated a wish to decentralise to each location identified for her Department's decentralisation to date; the timeline for further decentralisation from her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34101/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Government's decentralisation programme announced in 2003, one hundred (100) posts from my Department's headquarters were scheduled to decentralise to Athlone. It has been possible to relocate 11 of these posts to Athlone in advance of the main move, which will happen when the new building in Athlone is ready for occupation. On the basis of the information provided by the Office of Public Works I understand the it should be possible to complete the relocation of all of these posts to Athlone by the late spring/early summer of next year.

Sixty (60) members of the staff of my Department have indicated a wish to decentralise to Athlone (this includes those members of staff in the posts that have already been relocated). Thirty seven (37) of the members of staff of other Departments have indicated a wish to decentralise to Athlone.

Under the Government's decentralisation programme, 300 posts from my Department's headquarters were scheduled to decentralise to Mullingar. A site has been acquired for my Department's new headquarters in Mullingar and tenders have been received by the Office of Public Works, for the provision of this accommodation. The accommodation will be procured as a Public Private Partnership project, using the design, build, finance and maintain model. It is currently envisaged that the decentralisation to Mullingar will take place in 2010.

One hundred and forty one (141) members of staff of my Department have indicated a wish to decentralise to Mullingar. One hundred and three (103) of the members of staff of other Departments have indicated a wish to decentralise to Mullingar. It is anticipated that any shortfall of volunteers to decentralise to Mullingar will be made up between now and 2010.