Written answers

Thursday, 30 October 2008

Department of Agriculture and Food

Decentralisation Programme

6:00 pm

Photo of P J SheehanP J Sheehan (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 82: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the status of the decentralisation plan for his Department; the number of civil servants and sections planned to be moved to another location; the target date of same; the number of civil servants and sections who have relocated; the number of his original departmental employees who were involved in these relocations; when the programme of decentralisation will be completed in his Department; the number of civil servants who will remain in Dublin; the percentage of the staff of his Department that will represent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37488/08]

Photo of Brendan SmithBrendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The original Government decision on the decentralisation of my Department was that 600 headquarters posts would move to Portlaoise; some 100 posts in the local offices in Cork city would move to Fermoy; and up to 100 posts in the laboratories in Cork and Limerick would move to Macroom. Fisheries joined the Department in 2007 and the move of that function of my Department to Clonakilty is now substantially complete with 84 posts having moved there since the programme began. The decision regarding state agencies was that Bord Bia would move to Enniscorthy and Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) would move to Clonakilty.

Following the decentralisation announcement in the Budget 2009, the moves to Portlaoise and Clonakilty (including BIM) were approved by Government to proceed. The moves to Fermoy, Macroom and Enniscorthy have been deferred pending a review in 2011.

My Department's original Decentralisation Implementation Plan allowed for a phased move to Portlaoise and the 2005, 2006 and 2007 advance phases of decentralisation to Portlaoise were completed on schedule. To date, the Department has met its targets as set out in its original plan and in total, since the programme was announced, there has been an increase of 297 full-time posts in Portlaoise bringing the total number there to almost 500. The Office of Public Works (OPW) announced last December that a consortium, the Macquarie Partnership, has won the tender for the project to build the permanent offices in Portlaoise (as part of a public private partnership including offices in Mullingar and Carlow) and planning permission for the new building has now been granted. A revision to the Department's Decentralisation Implementation Plan is now being considered, to reflect the changes to the timetable and the progress so far, as well as the evolving operating environment. An additional advance phase has been agreed and planning and preparations for this phase are currently underway.

In total there has been an increase of 297 full-time posts in Portlaoise and 84 in Clonakilty since the programme was announced. Of the 297 staff that transferred to Portlaoise, 128 who originally worked in my Department were relocated under the programme. The completion of the programme depends on the availability of the permanent accommodation and we are in discussion with OPW regarding the timescale for delivery of the building. The Government decision on my Department is that the headquarters, which is currently in Dublin, will move to Portlaoise.

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