Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Question 385: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if it is the case that staff numbers in her Department's offices at Johnstown Castle Estate in County Wexford have reduced from approximately 400 to 340; the reason for this reduction; her views on whether this staff reduction supports the Government's decentralisation goals; the rationale for reducing staff numbers at Johnstown Castle while simultaneously building new offices and moving staff from Johnstown to Portlaoise; the reason additional operations of her Department have not been decentralised to Wexford in view of the phasing out of export refunds; if she will provide details of Government strategy in relation to Johnstown Castle and projected staffing requirements at that location up to 2010; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9102/08]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The work of my Department is subject to continuous change especially in recent times with the introduction of the Single Payment Scheme, Decentralisation and additional responsibilities in the areas of animal health and welfare, habitats and climate change. Since 2005 overall numbers in the Department have been reduced by 400 and another 500 staff have been redeployed to new schemes. The location of posts has to take account of business requirements in a changing environment. Therefore this Department's staff levels in various locations has to be adjusted from time to time. There has been significant reductions in staff levels in the majority of this Department's Offices including local offices over the last 3 years. For example the Department's staff in Castlebar has reduced by over 50%. This Department will continue to monitor the situation in Johnstown Castle to ensure that all staff have gainful employment and can contribute fully to the achievement of the Department's mission. To this end a number of functions have been transferred to Johnstown Castle in recent times including the Wildlife Administration Unit, the Beef Import Licensing Section and additional resources have been assigned to the administration of Forestry, On-Farm Investment and REPS schemes.

The decentralisation programme as it relates to this Department involves the movement of posts from Dublin to Portlaoise; Cork city to Fermoy; the rationalisation of the Department's laboratories in Munster to Macroom; and the now completed move of the fisheries function to Clonakilty. No posts have or will move from Wexford to Portlaoise under the programme. Outside of the programme, posts may relocate within the Department in order to deliver operating efficiencies.