asked the Minister for Finance if he will confirm that staff will not be compulsorily transferred to provincial areas under the Government's decentralisation programme.
Written Answers - Decentralisation Programme.
91.
The intention is that the staff to be transferred under the programme will be sought and selected on a voluntary basis from among serving civil servants who wish to move to centres designated. Volunteers will be sought, in the first instance, from the Departments and offices directly involved in the relevant transfers. Additional volunteers, to the numbers required, will then be sought on a service wide basis.
92.
(Limerick East) asked the Minister for Finance in respect of each Department which will be involved in the decentralisation programme (i) the locations to which civil servants will be invited to move (ii) the number of civil servants it is intended to move to each location and (iii) the method by which civil servants will be selected for decentralisation.
The details sought are as follows:
|
Location |
Department/ Office to be transferred |
Staff numbers involved |
|
Cavan |
Agriculture |
150 |
|
Galway |
Defence |
200 |
|
Ballina |
Environment |
200 |
|
Sligo |
Social Welfare |
300 |
|
Limerick |
Revenue |
|
|
Commissioners |
800 |
|
|
Ennis |
Revenue |
|
|
Commissioners |
170 |
|
|
Nenagh |
Revenue |
|
|
Commissioners |
200 |
|
|
Athlone |
Education |
180 |
|
Killarney |
Justice |
140 |
|
Letterkenny |
Social Welfare |
190 |
|
Waterford |
to be decided |
400 |
|
Dundalk |
to be decided |
300 |
The method of selection will be that volunteers will be invited from within the Department or Office designated for transfer, with the shortfall then being made up by inviting volunteers on a service-wide basis.
93.
(Limerick East) asked the Minister for Finance, in respect of each Department which will be involved in the decentralisation programme (i) the total amount of office space currently occupied in Dublin (ii) the proportion of such space owned by the State and the proportion leased and (iii) whether the space to be vacated by the units designated for decentralisation is owned or leased.
94.
(Limerick East) asked the Minister for Finance (a) the total amount of (i) owned and (ii) rented or leased office space in Dublin which will be vacated by Civil Service units designated for decentralisation and (b) the total rental or lease charges per annum on the rented or leased space in question.
I propose to answer Questions Nos. 93 and 94 together.
The information sought by the Deputy is set out in the following tabular statements:
|
(i) Departments |
Accommodation Occupied |
|
Agriculture and Food |
225,600 approximately |
|
Defence (excluding Military Accommodation) |
135,234 approximately |
|
Education |
128,050 approximately |
|
Environment |
112,950 approximately |
|
Justice (excluding Garda Accommodation) |
299,170 approximately |
|
Revenue Commissioners |
706,800 approximately |
|
Social Welfare (excluding Employment Exchanges) |
262,027 approximately |
|
Total |
1,869,831 |
|
(ii) Departments |
State Owned% |
Leased% |
||
|
Agriculture and Food |
212,400 |
(94.15) |
13,200 |
(5.85) |
|
Defence |
121,200 |
(89.62) |
14,034 |
(10.38) |
|
Education |
85,847 |
(67.04) |
42,203 |
(32.96) |
|
Environment |
42,250 |
(37.41) |
70,700 |
(62.59) |
|
Justice |
181,300 |
(60.60) |
117,870 |
(39.40) |
|
Revenue Commissioners |
238,950 |
(33.81) |
467,850 |
(66.19) |
|
Social Welfare |
64,100 |
(24.46) |
197,927 |
(75.54) |
|
Total |
946,047 |
(50.60) |
923,784 |
(49.40) |
(iii) Having regard to the fact that implementation of the decentralisation programme does not necessarily entail, in the first instance, vacation of entire buildings or indeed of defined areas within buildings, it is not possible at this stage to determine the amount and location of State accommodation in Dublin which will become vacant as a result of the programme. The extent and location of the accommodation to be vacated and of future office requirements in Dublin is being assessed by the Commissioners of Public Works in conjunction with the Departments concerned.
The assessment is being made with a view to achieving the optimum use of space and the maximum savings in rent.