Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 1317: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government when his Department expects to relocate to County Wexford; the number of civil servants who have applied for relocation to Wexford; the number of new vacancies that are expected to arise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1025/08]

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 1413: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of civil and other public servants based in Dublin in his 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 he will make a statement on the matter. [2605/08]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 1417: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government 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 2008; the breakdown of each set of figures in terms of those who are relocating from Dublin and relocating from elsewhere; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2992/08]

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 1418: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of civil servants and other public servants who have decentralised as at 31 December 2006 and the current date broken down into individual Departments and agencies; the number required for full decentralisation, broken down under individual departmental and agency plans; the number of currently decentralised locations in operation; the agencies with no progress; the values of properties purchased and sold in respect of the decentralisation process to date; the other costs incurred to date with the decentralisation process, broken down by category; the number of Departmental staff involved in administrating the decentralisation process since it's inception; the number of planning applications in progress in relation to building decentralised premises and planning applications to be submitted, broken down by location and planning submission date; the original budgeted and the expected total costs to be incurred for decentralisation; his further proposals in this regard; the expected date for completion of the full decentralisation process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3006/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1317, 1413, 1417 and 1418 together.

Under the decentralisation programme, all Dublin based operations of my Department are being decentralised, with the exception of Met Éireann, ENFO, the Private Rented Tenancies Board and a small co-ordination section which it is proposed to retain in Dublin to assist with the Department's Dáil and other business. A total of 682 Dublin based posts will be transferred to four locations in the South East: Wexford (270 posts); Waterford (225 posts); New Ross (125 posts) and Kilkenny (62 posts). The original indicative timescales for the completion of the Department's offices in Wexford, Kilkenny, New Ross and Waterford as set out in the Progress Report (June 2005) from the Decentralisation Implementation Group (DIG) were Q3 2007, End 2008, Early 2009 and Mid 2009 respectively. However, as outlined in the most recent Progress Report from the DIG (September 2007), the indicative timescales for the completion of the Department's offices have been revised as follows, Q 3 2008, Q 4 2009, Q 2 2010 and Q 3 2010 respectively.

My Department established an advance office in Wexford, currently staffed by 40 people, which has been operational since 25 June 2007. Of the 40 staff, one staff member transferred from an original location outside of Dublin and one staff member was recruited locally. The remainder of the staff transferred from an original Dublin based location. My Department's permanent offices in Wexford are currently under construction and it is expected that the remaining 230 posts, bringing the total to 270, will transfer to Wexford over the course of 2009. At present a total of 177 staff, including those in the advance office, have applied to decentralise to Wexford. The process of filling the posts due to transfer in 2009 is ongoing. In addition my Department has almost 400 staff based in 40 regional locations across the country.

The cost of procuring and fitting out office accommodation is a matter for the Office of Public Works (OPW). In this regard OPW are currently managing construction of the Department's Headquarters in Wexford for which site acquisition costs amounted to €3.5m. The annual leasing costs in respect of the advance office amount to €75,000 per annum while the fit out costs amounted to €206,000. Procurement options for the accommodation in the remaining 3 locations are under consideration by OPW. At the end of Q 3 2007 my Department had incurred €84,470 in respect of training, IT, travel and subsistence and miscellaneous accommodation costs under the decentralisation programme. There are 8 Departmental staff directly involved in the administration of the decentralisation programme for my Department. Other staff though not directly involved in administration provide support in areas such as training and communications. The decentralisation programme also provides for the relocation of the Local Government Computer Services Board (91 posts) and the National Building Agency (48 posts) to Drogheda and Wexford respectively.