Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 482: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will list in regard to his Department and State agencies or bodies operating under the aegis of his Department, the original proposal announced in December 2003 in regard to decentralisation; the position in regard to each such proposed decentralisation; the number which have been completed; the number of persons who have been relocated; the number and proportion who have been relocated from Dublin or from other locations; the number of projects that have to be completed; the target date for completion in each case; the number of proposed projects that will not proceed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32015/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Under the decentralisation programme, all Dublin based operations of my Department are being decentralised, with the exception of Met Éireann, ENFO and a small co-ordination section which it is proposed to retain in Dublin to assist with the Department's Dáil and other business. A total of 682 Dublin based posts will be transferred to four locations in the South East: Wexford (270 posts); Waterford (225 posts); New Ross (125 posts) and Kilkenny (62 posts). The programme also provides for the relocation of the Local Government Computer Services Board (91 posts) and the National Building Agency (48 posts) to Drogheda and Wexford respectively.

A site has been acquired for my Department's Headquarter offices in Wexford which are under construction and expected to be completed by December 2008 and ready for occupation from end January 2009. My Department will then transfer 270 posts into these offices, commencing in Q1 2009. An advance office was established in Wexford on 25 June 2007 and is currently staffed by 44 people. Of these, one staff member transferred from an original location outside of Dublin and one staff member was recruited locally. The remainder of the staff transferred from an original Dublin based location.

A site has been acquired by OPW for my Department's offices in Waterford, and further information is awaited in regard to the acquisition of accommodation at the other locations identified above. The Government decided in July 2008 that further expenditure for the acquisition of accommodation for decentralisation would await detailed consideration of reports from the Decentralisation Implementation Group.