Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 897: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to, or if he has been notified by the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission of a review being undertaken of the staffing requirements with regard to decentralisation of part of its staffing complement to Roscrea and Longford; when such a review was initiated; when it was concluded or is expected to be concluded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12061/08]

Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 898: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when he expects staff at the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission will be decentralised to Roscrea and Longford; if any of the existing complement of staff at the GSOC in Dublin are obliged by virtue of their employment contract or status as civil servants to relocate to those offices as part of the decentralisation process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12062/08]

Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 899: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to, or if he has been notified by, the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission of a review being undertaken of the staffing requirements with regard to decentralisation of part of its staffing complement to Roscrea and Longford; the reason for such a review; when such a review was initiated; when it was concluded or is expected to be concluded; if in the spirit of partnership all the staff or their representatives at GSOC headquarters have been fully involved and consulted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12063/08]

Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 900: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if, having regard to his statutory responsibilities, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005, and with particular regard to his response to Parliamentary Question No. 552 of 12 February 2008, he will respond in full to the question and confirm whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that a pivotal post sanctioned in July 2006, at principal officer level, as head of corporate affairs at the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission under the Dublin central application facility has been suppressed as per a communication dated 22 August 2007 from the GSOC directly with the officer concerned who was offered and accepted assignment to the post under the Dublin CAF; if he was notified of such a decision in advance or subsequently; the reason for the decision in the context of amending the related Department of Finance sanction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12065/08]

Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 901: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he supports Government decentralisation policy in all its aspects including the Dublin central applications facility arrangements agreed centrally with the unions; his views on the view expressed by the Department of Finance by letter dated 20 October 2007 to the director of administration at the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission that the GSOC does not have a veto on appointments under the Dublin CAF arrangement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12066/08]

Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 902: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform further to Parliamentary Question No. 552 of 12 February 2008 and in view of his responsibility for the effective corporate governance of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, the reason he does not involve himself in matters relating to the filling of vacancies relating to the GSOC in view of the gravity of the situation at the GSOC whereby, by its own admission publicly, it is severely backlogged with complaints which is damaging public confidence in the complaints procedures and noting the indications he has given in media comments that he will introduce legislative changes to relieve the burden on the GSOC; his views on whether the situation would be greatly improved, including staff morale, if the GSOC acted to fill its full complement of sanctioned posts including that of head of corporate affairs responsible,[i] inter alia[/i], for human resources recruitment and oversight of the complaints casework unit which has remained vacant since the post was sanctioned in July 2006; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12067/08]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 897 to 902, inclusive, together.

I can confirm that I am fully supportive of Government policy in relation to decentralisation which is of course a voluntary process for civil service staff and I am pleased to note that, with two years of my Department's programme still to run, close to five hundred posts have now been transferred, representing 50% of my overall commitment. While I am responsible to Government for delivering this programme — which involves 12 separate organisations including the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission — I do not oversee the filling of each individual vacancy within that cohort of posts. I am aware that the Office of Public Works are looking at a number of possibilities in relation to the provision of permanent office accommodation for the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission in Roscrea in order to meet the target date for the movement of staff by mid-2009.

Furthermore, I recently performed the official opening ceremony for the new decentralised Irish Prison Service Headquarters in Longford town and I can confirm that the Commission have been allocated office space in that building. I understand that the precise staffing structures for the Longford office are still being worked out by the Commission as part of their evolving decentralisation strategy in the context of their implementation plan. I have no involvement in any review in that regard or in any deliberations by the Ombudsman Commission on the correct balance between Head Office and decentralised posts. That is a matter for the Ombudsman Commission. I am aware that since October 2007, the Commission has been actively recruiting additional investigative and administrative staff but I have not been, and do not expect to be, briefed on the impact of each individual appointment.

With regard to the issue of the processing of complaints by the Ombudsman Commission, I can confirm that I am in receipt of the Report by the Commission into its effectiveness and the adequacy of its functions and also its Second Annual Report. Section 80 of the Garda Siochana Act 2005 obliges the Ombudsman Commission to report to me in a specific manner and those reports form part of that mechanism. I am obliged by law to lay each report before both Houses of the Oireachtas. I intend to do so in the near future.