Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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702. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of staff under the remit of his Department that have applied to be transferred to a Department or State agency offices located outside the Dublin region in each of the years 2014 to 2016 and to date in 2017, in tabular form; the estimated average cost incurred for each staff member that relocated outside the Dublin region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29039/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department facilitates a range of formal and informal mobility options for staff including head-to-head arrangements and the Senior Public Service Mobility Scheme (including Principal Officer mobility), while staff can also take part in the Civil Service Wide Mobility Scheme. The Department does not incur any cost when a staff member transfers to another Government Department.

The following table lists the number of officers who transferred to offices outside of the Dublin region in the timeframe in question. It is not possible to be wholly accurate with regard to the total number of staff that apply for transfer as the Department may not be aware of the application unless or until it is successful.In addition to the mobility schemes mentioned above, my Department also facilitates a significant volume of internal transfers to Irish missions overseas as part of the annual posting cycle.