Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 494: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the individual current and capital budgets allocated by Government, whether through the Office of Public Works or through departmental and agency budgets, for the provision of new office accommodation for agencies and Departments (details supplied) as part of the decentralisation programme; the status of the process of securing new office accommodation for these agencies and Departments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23584/08]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Government's decentralisation programme, the Development Cooperation Directorate of the Department of Foreign Affairs, which manages the Irish Aid programme, is decentralising to Limerick. This is scheduled to be completed in the autumn and involves the relocation to Limerick of 138 posts.

Since May 2007, 58 staff have already decentralised and are based in temporary offices in Limerick city centre.

The Office of Public Works (OPW) is responsible for the provision of office accommodation for the Directorate in Limerick, and my Department has been advised that these offices will be ready for occupation in the autumn.

Under the decentralisation programme, the OPW is also responsible for property and accommodation costs, both in respect of temporary and permanent offices. The only accommodation related cost defrayed by this Department was in respect of the ICT fit-out of the temporary offices in Limerick, which amounted to €152,000 in 2007.