John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 563: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the amount the process of decentralisation has cost the taxpayer to date excluding the cost of all sites or buildings acquired; and the cost for each individual location. [40150/08]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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As I informed this House in my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 335 of 5th November 2008 the vast majority of property related costs of Decentralisation have been paid directly by the Office of Public Works. The Office of Public Works has purchased land, on behalf of this Department, in Cavan. The total non property (current) costs incurred by the Department and its decentralising agencies in respect of the Decentralisation Programme since 2003, are €108,191. This figure is the latest cumulative data relating to expenditure by my Department and its agencies, reported to the Department of Finance.

Some €98,065 of this reported non capital expenditure relates to advance moves of Departmental functions to Cavan and Clonakilty. It is not possible to disaggregate costs for each location without undue administrative burden or deployment of resources. However, the bulk of this expenditure relates to the relocation of the entire seafood functions of the former Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources (DCMNR) to Clonakilty and, as the Deputy will be aware, these functions were transferred to the now Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (DAFF).

The Department agreed, earlier this year, a short term rental of storage facilities in Cavan and current expenditure to date in 2008 is €3,200.

In relation to agencies, because costs are location specific, I can advise the Deputy that, €9,276 of the total reported non capital costs relates to Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) expenditure in relation to Clonakilty. However, that agency is no longer under the remit of my Department. €1,752 of the total non-capital expenditure is associated with the Central Fisheries Board in relation to Carrick-on-Shannon. No expenditure has been recorded for the Ordnance Survey of Ireland in the context of Decentralisation to Dungarvan since it transferred to the remit of my Department.

Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) is currently compiling it costs in relation to decentralisation to Dundalk and in conjunction with all of the Agencies, the Department is currently updating decentralisation costs in the context of the next regular report to the Department of Finance. I will update the Deputy further when that report is finalised.

The Department has also apportioned, where possible, capital expenditure on decentralised locations, from overall budgets. In that regard, I can advise that the capital costs of IT installation involved in relocating the then Department's Seafood functions, since they transferred to DAFF, were €290,407. Similar capital costs for relocating an advance party of Departmental staff to Cavan were €147,435.