Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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Question 13: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the number of staff who have been transferred to his Department in the context of the transfer of new functions for his Department; the location at which transferred staff are based; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28715/10]

Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 17: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the organisational changes that have been made to transfer the equality brief to his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28752/10]

Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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Question 19: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if all Departmental changes involving his Department have now taken place as a result of the recent reconfiguration of ministerial responsibilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28759/10]

Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 13, 17 and 19 together.

As the Deputies will be aware, as part of the restructuring of Departments and agencies recently announced by the Taoiseach in Dáil Éireann to ensure greater coherence and produce more efficient delivery, the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs became the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs, incorporating responsibility for social inclusion policy and family policy from the former Department of Social and Family Affairs and for equality, disability, integration and human rights from the former Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.

I can confirm to the Deputies that the transfer of responsibility for each of these functions to the newly established Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs, is now complete and Orders have been made by Government in this regard.

As the transfer of functions process is concluded, it is now my intention to delegate the functions in respect of equality, human rights and integration to Minister of State White and to delegate functions transferred to my Department in relation to disability to Mr. John Moloney, TD, who will, of course, continue as Minister of State with special responsibility for Disability Issues and Mental Health at the Department of Health and Children, as well as the renamed Departments of Education and Skills, and Enterprise, Trade and Innovation. My Department is currently liaising with the Office of the Attorney General in relation to progressing this matter.

In relation to the number of staff who have been transferred to my Department in the context of the transfer of new functions and the location at which transferred staff are based, the following is the position: -

20 staff have transferred to my Department from the Department of Social Protection with social inclusion and family policy functions. These staff are in the process of being relocated to my Department's offices in Mespil Rd, Dublin 4.

63 staff transferred to my Department from the Department of Justice and Law Reform with the equality, disability, integration and human rights functions. 33 of these staff are being accommodated in my Department's offices in Mespil Rd, Dublin 4, while the remaining 30 staff will remain in Bishop Square, Dublin 8 due to spatial constraints in the Mespil Road accommodation

A further 69 staff also transferred to my Department from the Department of Justice and Law Reform, who are on secondment to the Equality Authority and the Equality Tribunal. Of these, 16 staff of the Equality Authority are located in Roscrea, Co. Tipperary while 10 Equality Tribunal staff are located in Portlaoise, Co. Laois. The remaining 43 staff are located in accommodation in Clonmel Street, Dublin 2.

For the sake of completeness, responsibility for the National Disability Authority, Irish Human Rights Commission and the Family Support Agency also transferred to my Department, with a total of 86 public servants working in these bodies.