Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 167: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the number of posts that have been decentralised as part of the current decentralisation programme with respect to her Department and agencies; the cost of mileage and overtime paid with respect to the holders of these posts in the year prior to decentralisation and the year after decentralisation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34711/07]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

To the end of November, 253 posts have decentralised to my Department's offices in Portlaoise. Both travel and overtime costs are tracked by the use of cost centres, which are allocated to Divisions of the Department, and on an individual basis.

The Department is implementing decentralisation on phased basis, transferring posts and staff over the course of the programme. This phasing extends to a Divisional level, staffing and moving sections of Divisions over a period of time, which facilitates skills and knowledge transfer and mitigates the risk inherent in the move. Therefore it is not possible to present the information requested using cost centres, as they are not directly attributable to groups of staff in a particular location, but in a particular work area.

To present the information requested on an individual basis would require a detailed examination of individual records of the current and past holders of the 253 posts over the period 2005 to 2007 and would require considerable resources. However, the Department sends a quarterly return to the Decentralisation Implementation Group, which details the non-property costs of decentralisation, including costs such as travel and overtime. To the end of the last quarter, these costs amounted to €53,922.