Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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2114. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of staff under the remit of her Department who have applied to be transferred to 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 she will make a statement on the matter. [29044/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that where an application is made by a staff member to transfer to another public body the details of this application are held by the receiving public body. The numbers of Department staff seeking such transfers is not therefore readily available.

In accordance with protocols agreed centrally between the Civil and Public Services Union and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform the names of Clerical Officers seeking transfer to alternative locations in their own or another Government Department are recorded on the relevant transfer list. In this regard, each Department maintains lists in respect of their own locations. The lists reflect the current position and are not maintained in a way that allows historical details to be reported. It should also be noted that a single staff member may appear on many different transfer lists, and so the total number of applications will be greater than the number of staff concerned. The Department also maintains informal transfer lists for staff at Executive Officer and Higher Executive Officer grades, but the number of applications on these lists is not readily available. The estimated average cost incurred for each staff member that relocates on foot of a transfer is not recorded but would generally only involve some potential training costs, given that the staff member is transferring to fill an existing vacancy.

The attached table shows the number of applications from Clerical Officers currently recorded on the transfer lists for the Department’s offices outside Dublin. Transfers are deemed to be voluntary moves which do not attract payment of any removal or travel expenses.

Table showing the number of applications from Clerical Officers seeking a transfer to offices of the Department of Social Protection offices which are outside Dublin