Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Over the past year, my Department has been engaged in a comprehensive reconfiguration of the local office structure, as part of which sixteen enhanced regional offices are being developed. This process is designed to ensure that the Department continues to provide an efficient and effective service to the Department's clients. The Department's office in Ballybay is continuing to provide a full range of services to its local clients and additional work relating to the national Aujeszky's Disease and Eradication Programme and the Suckler Welfare Scheme has also been transferred to the Ballybay office and will continue to be carried out there. It is normal practice in all of the Department's offices, as has been the case in Ballybay, that the majority of farmers' files are maintained in electronic format and paper files regularly archived to save space. As the reconfiguration process continues, the Department will continue to engage with the staff concerned and ensure that they are kept informed of the progress of that process, including any further decisions on the assignment of work to such local offices.