Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)
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Question 432: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of posts assigned at assistant principal level in his Department's soon to be decentralised office in Wexford; the number of officials who have taken up duty in his Department to fill these posts; the number who have yet to take up duty; when he expects that they will be notified to take up duty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46522/08]

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)
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Question 433: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of officers at assistant principal level who had taken up duty in his Department from other Departments with a view to decentralising to Waterford, New Ross or Kilkenny prior to the recent announcements regarding decentralisation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46523/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 432 and 433 together.

The Government announcement on 14 October 2008 confirmed that the decentralisation of my Department's Headquarters to Wexford (270 posts) will proceed as planned. However the transfer of posts to the three other locations in the South East — Waterford (225 posts), New Ross (125 posts) and Kilkenny (62 posts) — is being deferred pending the outcome of a review in 2011 in light of budgetary developments.

My Department's Headquarter offices in Wexford are under construction and expected to be completed and ready for occupation in Q1 2009. My Department will then transfer 270 posts into these offices in 2009. 47 Assistant Principal Officer (AP) posts are being assigned to the Department's Headquarters in Wexford and 41 of these posts are currently filled. The remaining posts (6) will be filled in early 2009.

The following table sets out the position in relation to the number of Assistant Principal Officers from other Departments who have joined the Department and signed-up to decentralise to Waterford, New Ross and Kilkenny: