Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 214: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the position and progress made to date in the decentralisation project of 300 posts to Mullingar, County Westmeath; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a significant number of personnel wish to relocate to Mullingar immediately as part of the decentralisation process; if he will take steps to expedite the plans in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32823/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The Mullingar element of the decentralisation of my Department's Headquarters will take place when new permanent accommodation is ready for occupation. This is likely to be sometime in 2010. The Office of Public Works (OPW) has procured a site in Mullingar for the development of the new headquarters of my Department. In December 2007, the OPW announced a preferred tenderer for a bundle of three Public Private Partnerships projects to include my Department's new headquarters in Mullingar. Full planning permission for this development was received in July 2008.

Approximately 130 posts in Dublin are now held by officers who will relocate to Mullingar with their posts. Volunteers for decentralisation will be assigned to the remaining posts as the current post-holders transfer out under the Dublin Arrangements or to decentralise to other locations. There are no plans to secure temporary accommodation for an advance party to Mullingar, prior to the provision of the permanent office accommodation in 2010. However in June 2008, my Department utilised existing available accommodation in its Regional Office in Mullingar, to decentralise seven posts from Dublin to that location.