Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 384: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the annual costs incurred by his Department in the implementation of the decentralisation scheme for each of the past four years, broken down between property and non-property costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35548/08]

Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 385: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the progress made by his Department on implementing the decentralisation scheme, including the number of staff who have moved under the scheme and the property bought or rented outside Dublin under the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35563/08]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 384 and 385 together.

The Department of Arts Sport and Tourism was designated for relocation to Killarney, Co. Kerry, under the Government's Decentralisation Programme, which was announced in the 2004 Budget. The Department, which has a staff of 130, excluding the National Archives, was designated an "early mover" by the Decentralisation Implementation Group (DIG). To date, 76 staff have relocated to temporary accommodation in Fossa, Killarney. The objective is to complete the decentralisation process of the Department by early 2009 by which time it will be operating from the new purpose built offices in Killarney. The annual non-property costs incurred by this Department in the implementation of the decentralisation scheme for each of the past four years are set out in the table.

The expenditure outlined includes the cost of office machinery, office and premises overheads, postal and telecommunications services and travel and subsistence. The OPW are responsible for the acquisition of and costs relating to temporary and the permanent accommodation and therefore these do not fall within this Department's Vote.