Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 223: To ask the Minister for Finance the leases taken out by the Office of Public Works on behalf of Departments or by State agencies since the announcement of the decentralisation programme in December 2003; the length of each lease; the annual rents involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31981/08]

Martin Mansergh (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The leases taken out under the Decentralisation Programme since December 2003 are outlined on the tables:

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 224: To ask the Minister for Finance the latest information available from the central applications facility in respect of applications from civil servants and other public servants located in Dublin who wish to transfer to new locations outside of Dublin under the Government's decentralisation programme; the way this compares with the Government target of 10,300; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31982/08]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 227: To ask the Minister for Finance if an estimate has been undertaken of the number of civil or public servants who do not wish to relocate and who will be surplus to requirements as a result of their jobs being transferred to other locations under the Government's decentralisation programme; the jobs that will be provided for these personnel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31985/08]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 228: To ask the Minister for Finance the number of civil servants and other public servants who applied for relocation under the Government's decentralisation programme and who subsequently withdrew their application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31986/08]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I propose to take Questions Nos. 224, 227 and 228 together.

The Central Applications Facility (CAF), which was launched in May 2004, remains open and continues to receive applications. Up to September 2008, over thirteen thousand civil and public servants have applied on the CAF to relocate under the Programme. Over 7,000 of these — or 53% — were Dublin based applicants. A total of 868 people have withdrawn their application since CAF was launched. Because of the nature of the programme and the timescales involved, individual circumstances are open to change and application status may change as a result.

Across the public service, recruitment and promotion practices generally are being managed in a way which facilitates the achievement of the Decentralisation Programme in an efficient manner. In that context agreement has been reached with the Civil Service unions representing general service staff that an assignment will not be made to a decentralising post until alternative arrangements have been identified for an existing post holder who does not wish to decentralise with it. The primary mechanism for placing Civil Servants who are in posts which are due to decentralise but wish to remain in Dublin is by way of bilateral transfer. As staff who have applied to decentralise continue to be transferred into decentralising organisations, the posts they vacate become available to those wishing to remain in Dublin.

Further arrangements have been initiated for general service grades. The objective of these Dublin Arrangements is to provide to the Public Appointments Service details of staff who wish to remain in Dublin at each grade level so that a proportion of vacancies arising in Dublin based posts may be filled by those staff. The arrangements seek to balance the need to facilitate the effective achievement of the decentralisation programme with the business needs of departments and the aspirations of staff to be placed in appropriate posts in Dublin. To achieve this, they allow for prioritisation at certain times of staff in organisations who have an immediate need to be placed in Dublin posts due to the timing of the relocation of their current department or office. It is intended that the arrangements will continue over the full transition phase of the Programme and my department is monitoring them in co-operation with Departments and the relevant unions to ensure that they are operating efficiently.

The Government decided on 8 July last that no further expenditure on the acquisition of accommodation for decentralisation should be sanctioned pending detailed consideration by the Government of two reports: one from the Decentralisation Implementation Group on the feasibility of phased moves by the State Agencies; and one from the Implementation Group of Secretaries General on the governmental and cross-Departmental issues arising from the need to provide facilities for Ministers, Ministers of State and officials while in Dublin on business. I expect that these reports will be presented to the Government for consideration over the coming weeks.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 225: To ask the Minister for Finance the number of civil servants and other public servants in his Department who had been decentralised from Dublin to other locations by the original deadline for the completion of the plan of December 2006; if in view of the response to the scheme to date, he has plans to review the scale or scope of the proposal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31983/08]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

One hundred and ten staff (110) of my Department decentralised to Tullamore by end December 2006. Of those seventy-eight (78) were previously Dublin based staff, twenty-one (21) were based in other locations and eleven (11) were recruited for posts in Tullamore. With regard to the agencies under the aegis of my Department no staff had decentralised under the programme by end December 2006. The Government decided on 8 July last that no further expenditure on the acquisition of accommodation for decentralisation should be sanctioned pending detailed consideration by the Government of two reports: one from the Decentralisation Implementation Group on the feasibility of phased moves by the State Agencies; and one from the Implementation Group of Secretaries General on the governmental and cross-Departmental issues arising from the need to provide facilities for Minister, Ministers of State and officials while in Dublin on business. I expect to present these reports for consideration by the Government over the coming weeks.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 226: To ask the Minister for Finance the anticipated costs, in terms of acquiring and equipping premises and other related costs at the latest date for which figures are available arising from the original decentralisation programme announced in budget 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31984/08]

Martin Mansergh (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The total amount of expenditure to date under the Government's Decentralisation Programme is approximately €244m. This includes the cost of site/property acquisitions, fit-out works and rent paid to date. The costs to date have been offset by property disposals in Dublin. The estimated cost for the entire Decentralisation Programme is of the order of €900m.