Written answers
Wednesday, 14 January 2015
Department of Social Protection
Decentralisation Programme Data
Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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55. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the agencies or sections from her Department that were decentralised during the period 1997 to 2011; the travel costs and expenses incurred by decentralised personnel travelling to their base Department in that period. [1035/15]
Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Under the terms of the Decentralisation Programme which was announced in December 2003, various sections of the Department were designated to move to the following locations, Buncrana, Carrickmacross, Carrick-on-Shannon (in 2 Phases), Donegal Town, Drogheda and Sligo.The Combat Poverty Agency and the Citizens Information Board which operate under the aegis of my Department were designated to move to Monaghan Town and Carrickmacross respectively. The Combat Poverty Agency was subsequently subsumed into the Department in July 2009.
However, following a review of the programme, the Government determined that where no progress had been made in relation to the provision of accommodation or the movement of staff, that these parts of the programme were no longer viable and accordingly were cancelled. The locations in respect of the Department and its agencies that were cancelled were Carrick-on-Shannon (Phase 2), Carrickmacross, Donegal Town, Drogheda and Monaghan Town.
The table below details the number of posts and sections that were relocated.
| Location | Posts | Sections |
|---|---|---|
| Buncrana | 99 | Client Eligibility Services |
| Carrick-on-Shannon (Phase 1) | 159 | Client Identity Services, Employment Support Services, Labour Market Unit, Control Division, Maintenance Recovery Unit, Freedom of Information & Decisions Advisory Unit, Overpayment & Debt Management |
| Sligo | 72 | Internal Audit, Staff Development Unit, Supplementary Welfare Administration, Information and Customer Services |
The records available in relation to the travel and subsistence costs associated with the decentralisation programme are for the period between 2004 and 2009.The total cost of travel and subsistence of the overall decentralisation programme was €103,032 during this period. This would include the set up travel costs associated with the decentralised move. However, although records are held of all travel and subsistence costs incurred by staff in the Department, separate records are not held on costs incurred by decentralised personnel between their new locations and the base Department HQ locations.
In addition to the locations outlined above, the Department also relocated its Accounts Branch (98.5 posts) to Dundalk in 2002, which was during the period in question. There are no separate records held in relation to travel and subsistence costs associated with the relocation.
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