Written answers
Wednesday, 17 December 2008
Department of Social and Family Affairs
Decentralisation Programme
8:00 pm
Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 408: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of civil servants and other public servants, who have relocated to locations outside of Dublin under the Government's decentralisation programme; the estimated number of each category who will have relocated by the end of 2009; the breakdown of each set of figures in terms of those who are relocating from Dublin and relocating from elsewhere; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47006/08]
Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Government's current decentralisation programme for the civil and public service, some 1,200 posts comprising the Department's headquarter sections and the Social Welfare Appeals Office are relocating to 6 locations — Sligo, Carrick-on-Shannon, Donegal Town, Buncrana, Carrickmacross and Drogheda.
To date, 212 posts have relocated from the Department's Dublin Offices to Carrick-on-Shannon and Sligo under the current programme — 140 posts to Carrick-on-Shannon and 72 posts to Sligo. As outlined in the following table, 69 officers were based in Dublin prior to their relocation under the decentralisation programme. Posts relocated to date under the programme of decentralisation:
| PO | AP | HEO | EO | SO | CO | Service Grades | Total | |
| Grade breakdown of posts decentralised from Dublin | 5 | 19 | 36 | 47 | 9 | 92 | 4 | 212 |
| No. of Dublin based staff that decentralised | 1 | 2 | 23 | 24 | 1 | 17 | 1 | 69 |
| No. of Provincial based staff that decentralised | 4 | 17 | 13 | 23 | 8 | 75 | 3 | 143 |
During 2009, it is anticipated that a further 120 posts will transfer to Buncrana and Carrick-on-Shannon — 115 posts to Buncrana and 5 posts to Carrick-on-Shannon. A site in Buncrana has been purchased, the building is under construction and the expected completion date of the project is late 2009. The following table outlines the breakdown requested. Posts to relocate during 2009 under the programme of decentralisation (subject to the completion of accommodation):
| PO | AP | HEO | EO | SO | CO | Service Grades | Total | |
| Grade breakdown of posts due to decentralise in 2009 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 13 | 14 | 82 | 3 | 120 |
| No. of staff currently based in Dublin that will decentralise | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 27 | 0 | 43 |
| No. of staff currently based in Provincial locations that will decentralise | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 27 | 0 | 37 |
The Central Application will remain open for new applications until the full decentralisation programme is complete. Assignments will continue to be made for Buncrana bound Business Units during 2009.
In addition, the Department has decentralised offices in Longford, Sligo, Letterkenny, Waterford, Dundalk and Roscommon and some 219 Civil Servants have transferred to these offices and other offices of the Department to fill vacancies created by the current decentralisation programme. Furthermore, a total of 258 employees of the Department have transferred to other Government Departments for the purposes of their decentralisation programmes.
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