(Limerick East) asked the Minister for Finance if he has yet decided the sections of Departments which will be decentralised to the locations selected by the Government in accord with its decentralisation programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Decentralisation Programme.
47.
The answer is in the form of a table which will be circulated in the Official Report.
|
Centre |
Numbers |
Department/Office |
Section |
|
Galway |
200 |
Defence |
Finance Branch |
|
Ballina |
200 |
Environment |
Group Water Schemes |
|
Driver Testing |
|||
|
Housing Grants |
|||
|
Sligo |
300 |
Social Welfare |
Old-age and widows' pensions and free schemes, Child Benefit |
|
Cavan |
150 |
Agriculture |
Accounts |
|
Land Policy |
|||
|
Farm Development |
|||
|
Athlone |
180 |
Education |
Salaries |
|
Letterkenny |
190 |
Social Welfare |
Records Branch (part) |
|
Killarney |
140 |
Justice |
Finance |
|
Limerick |
800 |
Revenue Commissioners |
Not yet decided |
|
Nenagh |
200 |
Revenue Commissioners |
Not yet decided |
|
Ennis |
170 |
Revenue Commissioners |
Not yet decided |
|
Waterford |
400 |
Not yet decided |
|
|
Dundalk |
300 |
Not yet decided |
I must apologise to the Deputy that two of the three Priority Questions were in the form of a table, but there was so much information being sought that it was the only realistic way to put it forward. It is much the same as was announced in the programme in 1980.
(Limerick East): Again, it is difficult to frame supplementary questions on the basis of unseen tabular statements. The point I am getting at and on which the Minister might be able to help is that the Minister has announced a number of locations around the country. In accordance with the Government's programme of decentralisation, civil servants will be moved from Dublin to these provincial locations. The Minister has already provided information about the number of civil sevants for each location and the timescale he envisages. But I do not know — and I do not know if anybody else knows — if the Minister has identified Departments or sections of Departments in Dublin which will be moved. It seems that the Government policy is to have voluntary rather than compulsory decentralisation. Taking that as a principle it would be impossible to designate a key section of a Department for a provincial location. One cannot be sure if the section designated would throw up enough volunteers to move or not. It seems that the wish has come first to have civil servants in country locations but there has been no assessment of who should work in the rural locations and who should work in Dublin and what sections of Departments should work in the country. I wonder is the decentralisation programme simply a method of accommodating young ladies who travel home every Friday night on provincial coaches or is there a serious attempt being made to decentralise?
There are young boys as well.
(Limerick East): There are young boys as well but it is predominantly women. Is there a serious attempt to decentralise key functions of Departments to rural locations?
It is planned to decentralise to Galway, Defence — finance branch; to Ballina, Environment — group water schemes, driver testing, housing grants; to Sligo, Social Welfare — old age pensions, widows' pensions, free schemes and child benefit; to Cavan, Agriculture — accounts, land policy and farm development; to Athlone, Education — salaries; to Letterkenny, Social Welfare — records branch (part of it); to Killarney, Justice — finance. Sections of the Revenue Commissioners will be transferred to Limerick, Nenagh and Ennis. It has not been decided what sections will be transferred but it will be decided at the time draws nearer. In so far as Waterford and Dundalk are concerned, An Post and Telecom were in those areas but they are no longer under out responsibility. We have not yet decided on what Departments will be going to those two areas.
(Limerick East): Is it not the case that all decentralisation of personnel will be on a voluntary basis, that no applications are being sought from anybody more senior than principal officer and, consequently, that any section which would require an assistant secretary as the top person in the hierarchy is not being decentralised? In effect, are we not talking about the decentralisation of a multiplicity of people with clerical skills to perform a variety of low level clerical operations for the Departments the Minister has nominated? Is it not the case that there is no decentralisation of key elements of Departments.
There will be decentralisation of certain elements of Departments but whether they are key elements depends on the particular Department. The scheme is voluntary. Particular sections in Departments will be offered transfers to whatever location and if there are not sufficient people in those sections wishing to transfer, transfers will be offered across the system where there are thousands available. I understand that in relation to the Department of Social Welfare, which is one of the most advanced Departments, in one section there are 150 people wishing to transfer. The required number is 300. By offering the transfer in other areas there will be no difficulty in getting the 300 people. The kind of staff who will be transferred are in general services across the spectrum of the Civil Service and it is as easy for them to work in salaries sections in the Department of Defence or Justice as it is to work in the salaries section of any other Department. They would be doing the same sort of work and therefore it does not lead to any problems or complications. The proposal is not in any way compulsory; it will be a totally voluntary system.
(Limerick East): I take it from the Minister's reply that there is no question of any of the policy functioning sections of Departments being decentralised, that what are being decentralised are administrative sections or portions of administrative sections.
That has been the position since 1980 and it remains so.
That disposes of Questions, both ordinary and priority, for today.