Mary Wallace (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 103: To ask the Minister for Finance the position regarding the identification of a replacement office relocation for staff who are to move from a building (details supplied); when the initial decision or announcement was made regarding the proposed move; the steps which have been taken since that time; the timeframe for the move; the position regarding same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26470/09]

Martin Mansergh (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)
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Following the Government Decision re: Decentralisation in Budget 2004, it was decided that the provision of replacement space for the office in question would be provided as part of the Decentralisation Programme.

Following lengthy negotiations with the Departments involved, including, inter alia, agreement on the Departments to be included in the overall Decentralisation process and where they would be located, significant efforts were made to acquire suitable sites in the region in question. It was subsequently confirmed that it would not be possible to accommodate the new local office in question within the Decentralisation sites acquired for the region.

Since that time, however, due to the impositions arising from the current financial climate, it has regrettably not been possible to pursue all accommodation requirements, and Departments have been asked to prioritise their most urgent and immediate accommodation requirements for the attention of my Office.

While this requirement is not on the current list of priorities for immediate attention by this Office, it has been noted as an office where additional space may be required. In that context, examination of the current accommodation has taken place to determine whether interim remedial works can be undertaken. This Office is also examining the possibility of additional space within the State Portfolio, and initial contacts have also been made with Estate Agents and Developers in the area to determine what options are available in the current commercial office market.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 104: To ask the Minister for Finance if he will provide, in tabular form, the numbers of civil servants awaiting transfer to locations within the Laois-Offaly area, including Roscrea, County Tipperary; if these transfers are affected by the moratorium on recruitment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26497/09]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has completed its decentralisation of staff to Tullamore, Co Offaly. There remains a number of applications from civil servants for a transfer to my Department and the grade breakdown is as follows:-

The moratorium on recruitment does not allow Departments to fill posts by recruitment or promotion. However, it does not prevent the filling of posts by lateral transfers within Departments, or between different Departments where this can be arranged as the overall civil service numbers and pay bill are not affected in these circumstances.

I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that the details regarding the numbers of Civil Servants awaiting transfer to locations within Laois/Offaly is as follows:

Transfers per se are not covered by the moratorium on recruitment. However, the deployment and management of their staff resources are a matter for the Revenue Commissioners who advise me that transfers will continue to be based on the needs of the organisation which, in the context of the efficient management of their office and Government policy on public service numbers, may have an indirect impact on transfers.

I am informed by the Office of Public Works that there are currently in excess of two hundred (200) Clerical Officers who have applied through the Central Transfer List for transfer to the Office of Public Works in Portlaoise (not a decentralisation office for the Office of Public Works). This list has applications dating from 1999. I understand that this list is not managed centrally and would therefore contain the names of civil servants who may have already moved to other Departments with offices in the Laois/Offaly area.

It should be noted that neither my Department nor the bodies under the aegis of my Department