Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 617: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of staff employed by her Department in County Louth by location; if such staff are permanent, temporary, part time or on fixed contracts and so on; the accommodation used by such staff and if same is owned, leased or otherwise rented by her Department; the cost of same per annum; if leased, when such lease expires; her proposals to close, amalgamate or expand his Departments presence in County Louth; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28855/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Department currently has staff employed in 4 offices in Co. Louth. These include two offices in Drogheda (Government offices Custom House Quay and Singleton House, Laurence Street); one office in Dundalk (Government Offices, St Alphonsus Road) and one office in William Street, Ardee. The Department has requested details of the leasing arrangements for these offices from the Office of Public Works and these will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as they become available.

The Department is reviewing its accommodation requirements in Co. Louth in consultation with the Office of Public Works in the light of the increasing numbers on the Live Register in the county.

The Government outlined in Budget 2009 that the decentralisation programme to Drogheda would proceed as planned. The OPW has purchased sites in Drogheda to accommodate the Department's Headquarters and the Social Welfare Appeals Office.

It is intended that the accommodation will be procured by Public Private Partnership (PPP), the procurement process to be conducted by the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA). In that regard, the accommodation requirements are being assessed and the matter of bringing the project to the point of procurement is being progressed by the Office of Public Works in consultation with the Department.

Details regarding the number of staff employed by the Department and their location in County Louth are set out in the table.