Written answers

Wednesday, 30 January 2008

Department of Education and Science

Decentralisation Programme

8:00 pm

Photo of Kieran O'DonnellKieran O'Donnell (Limerick East, Fine Gael)
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Question 1077: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of civil and other public servants based in Dublin in her Department and agencies who have applied for decentralisation, who have been transferred to their decentralised post and are currently in position in the decentralised location outside Dublin; the number of civil and other public servants required for decentralisation under plans; the original and expected date for full decentralisation to be in place; the locations together with details of properties and land owned, purchased or planning permissions sought for the construction of premises for decentralisation; the costs incurred to date; the original budgeted for and expected total costs to be incurred for decentralisation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2603/08]

Photo of Mary HanafinMary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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One hundred and eighty one Dublin based civil servants in my Department have applied to decentralise. A further 49 Dublin based civil servants from my Department have transferred to decentralised positions outside of Dublin. Under the Government's decentralisation programme, 400 posts are scheduled to move from the Dublin offices of my Department to Athlone and Mullingar.

The report of 19 November 2004 from the Decentralisation Implementation Group (DIG) to the Minister for Finance gave indicative dates for decentralisation to Athlone and Mullingar as Q4 2006 and Q2 2008 respectively. The current position is that the Athlone element of the decentralisation could be complete by the end of Q2 this year. The Mullingar element will be completed when the new office accommodation for my Department is ready for occupation. The recent announcement by Office of Public Works (OPW) of a preferred tenderer for a bundle of 3 Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects to include the office accommodation in Mullingar means that this accommodation should be ready for occupation sometime in 2010.

The new building in Athlone is sited on the same campus as my Department's existing offices in Athlone on land that was already in State ownership. The OPW has procured a site in Mullingar for the development of the new office for my Department. The OPW is charged with the responsibility for the property aspects of the programme of decentralisation — including the procurement of property for decentralising organisations and the disposal of property in Dublin that will become surplus — so the management of and reporting on this aspect of the programme is a matter for the OPW.

To date, no non-capital costs have been incurred in connection with the decentralisation of my Department. The State bodies under the aegis of my Department that are scheduled to decentralise are: the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and the National Education Welfare Board (NEWB) to Portarlington; the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI), the Higher Education Training and Awards Council (HETAC) and the Further Education Training and Awards Council (FETAC) to Edenderry; the Higher Education Authority (HEA) to Athlone. The full decentralisation of these bodies will involve the relocation of 145 posts from Dublin. Forty three employees of these bodies have either indicated an interest in decentralisation or are recent recruits who are committed relocate as part of a contract of employment. A further 3 Dublin based employees have transferred out of these bodies to decentralised positions outside of Dublin.

On the basis of progress to date towards the provision of permanent accommodation in Portarlington, the NCCA and NEWB may be able to occupy their new permanent accommodation by the end of 2009. Both of these bodies anticipate moving some employees into temporary accommodation outside of Dublin in advance of this. The position is less clear in relation to the NQAI, HETAC, FETAC and the HEA. None of these bodies were identified as potential early movers in the DIG report of 19 November 2004.

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