Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 115: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the costs incurred to date by his Department arising from the Governments decentralisation proposals; the extent of further or expected costs in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16936/08]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Office of Public Works (OPW) has primary responsibility for the procurement of suitable accommodation for both the advance and permanent re-location of decentralising Departments, including my Department's staff to Carlow. Officials of my Department, in consultation with the Department of Finance and the OPW, as well as decentralising staff and Business Units, opened an advance office in Carlow on July 30th 2007. It is my understanding from the OPW that the yearly rental costs for this office are in the region of €369,000 and the fit-out costs were approximately €2,068,000.

With regard to the property costs for the Department's permanent move to Carlow, the OPW completed the purchase of a site in Carlow town centre for the construction of my Department's permanent office. I understand from the OPW that the site acquisition costs were €1,440,000. My colleague, Minister of State Noel Ahern TD, announced on 13th December 2007 that the OPW has invited The Macquarie Partnership as the consortium to become the 'Successful Tenderer' in respect of this decentralisation project. This forms part of a major PPP project, which also involves the provision of office accommodation for the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in Portlaoise and the Department of Education and Science in Mullingar. The OPW is responsible for costs in relation to this entire project.

With regard to non-property decentralisation costs incurred to date, the most recent figure for such costs for my Department, as submitted to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance and the Public Service, via the Department of Finance, relates to the period January 2004 to December 2007. These amount to €184,647, broken down as follows — (Travel and Subsistence €11,298, Incidental €1,247, Postal & Telecom €306, Office Machinery €129,854, Office Premises €15,322 and Consultancy €26,620). In respect of future costs, it is not possible to give any indication at this point in time.