Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 573: To ask the Minister for Education and Science 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. [32013/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I can confirm to the Deputy that at this stage my Department has completed the process of decentralising all sections due to relocate to Athlone, with some 88 posts now relocated. Under the Government's decentralisation programme, 300 posts from my Department's headquarters are scheduled to decentralise to Mullingar. A site has been acquired for my Department's new headquarters in Mullingar and tenders have been received by the Office of Public Works, for the provision of this accommodation. The accommodation will be procured as a Public Private Partnership project, using the design, build, finance and maintain model. It is currently envisaged that the decentralisation to Mullingar will take place in 2010. Seven staff have already moved from my Department's Dublin Headquarters to Mullingar.

In addition, under the Government's decentralisation programme, 64 posts are scheduled to decentralise with the Higher Education Authority (HEA) to Athlone. There is no updated target date at present for this move. 34 posts with the Higher Education and Training Awards Council, (HETAC), 44 posts with the Further Education and Training Awards Council (FETAC) and 18 posts with the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI) are due to decentralise to Edenderry in 2010. In addition, 14 posts are due to move with the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) and 37 posts with the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) to Portarlington in 2010. To date 12 posts have moved with the NCCA to Portlaoise in advance of their move to Portarlington.