Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 170: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the reason there is a significant delay in the decentralisation of the Health and Safety Authority to Thomastown, County Kilkenny; the number of staff who have been recruited to the HSA, as well as REACH, on the basis that they will be moving to Thomastown; when she will transfer public and civil service staff to Thomastown; if she is satisfied that the HSA has provided for sufficient lands to meet anticipated and ongoing decentralisation of the HSA in Thomastown; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18911/08]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The organisation of the decentralisation of the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) to Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny is primarily an operational matter for the Authority itself. The Authority already has temporary offices in Kilkenny City with an advance party of staff partly drawn from the 48 staff recruited on the basis that they would be employed in Thomastown. This figure includes all new staff recruited for the REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals) strategy. The Deputy will be aware that, at present, there is no formal arrangement in place for the transfer of staff between the civil service and State Agencies.

The procurement of premises to facilitate decentralisation is primarily an operational matter for the Office of Public Works (OPW). I am informed that the OPW has signed a contract in respect of a site in Thomastown and the sale should close shortly. The OPW has had to go through the development process that required a material contravention of the County Development Plan and this was only finalised earlier in the year. The current estimated timeline for availability for occupancy of the Thomastown site is 2009/2010. I have no reason to believe other than that the premises will be sufficient to meet the HSA's requirements.

Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 171: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the number of persons transferred from Dublin under the decentralisation programme; the number of transferees who have responsibility for arts, sport and tourism, respectively; the number of persons retained in the Dublin offices with the relative responsibilities as stated; the target number that has been set for his Department under the decentralisation programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18795/08]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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To date, a total of 70 staff from the Department have relocated to temporary accommodation in Fossa, Killarney, under the Government programme of decentralisation. The objective is to complete the decentralisation process by the end of 2008 by which time the Department will be operating from new purpose built offices in Killarney. Of the 70 staff in Fossa, 24 members of staff have responsibility for Sport, including the sports capital grants scheme and sports policy, 19 for Arts, including the Access scheme and the National Cultural Institutions and 6 for Tourism development.

In Dublin, apart from the Secretary General and the three Assistant Secretaries, each of whom has responsibility for a sectoral area, there are 5 officers with responsibility for Sport including major sports projects. There are 8 officers with responsibility for various elements of the Arts, and 4 with responsibility for Tourism Marketing policy and impact assessment. The target number set for decentralisation to Killarney is 130.