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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 14 Dec 1993

Vol. 437 No. 2

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - CSO Staff Statistics.

Proinsias De Rossa

Question:

2 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Taoiseach the number of staff currently employed by the CSO; the number of such staff who have agreed to transfer to Cork: the steps, if any, that have been taken to provide staff to carry out the work of those who do not wish to move to Cork; the estimated cost of recruiting and training such staff; the cost of providing new accommodation for the CSO in Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

The information requested by the Deputy is as follows: of just 600 staff currently employed in the CSO, up to 400 are being transferred to Cork, including two deputy directors, five senior statisticians and 14 statisticians. The following activities are being transferred: industrial and building statistics; services statistics and business register; agriculture statistics; labour market statistics; vital statistics; retail and wholesale prices; information technology division; administration division, i.e. personnel, finance, office services, information, printing and library.

To date a total of 206 staff volunteering to relocate to Cork are in place in the Dublin office; these comprise 76 CSO volunteers, 69 volunteers from other Government Departments, 16 clerical assistants taken from the most recent competition undertaken by the Civil Service Commission, 11 statistician recruits from an open competition and 34 persons appointed to date from promotion competitions held to make-up the shortfall in staff volunteering to relocate in their existing grade.

Staff are continuing to be appointed for the Cork office through the normal Civil Service volunteer and promotion decentralisation arrangements; a small number of technical and other officers are being recruited directly.

Staff have been redeployed from other duties within the CSO to serve on interview boards and to process the intake of staff from other Government Departments and their replacement by existing CSO staff opting to remain in Dublin. The additional cost to the CSO and Civil Service Commission of recruitment for Cork is modest and cannot be readily distinguished.

The staff appointed for Cork are being trained in their new work within the CSO by existing staff. This on-the-job training is being supplemented by induction and other courses given by the office training services. An additional £47,600 has been expended to date on external training courses; these mainly relate to information technology and EU training courses for statisticians.

The provision of the new CSO building in Cork is being financed under the Office of Public Works Vote on a 20 year leasepurchase basis. Fitting out costs of approximately £1.85 million were provided for in the £2.11 million allowed for decentralisation costs in the 1993 CSO Vote.

The main transfer of CSO staff to Cork will be completed on schedule by the end of January 1994.

Will the Minister of State indicate the duties and functions of the CSO which are not being transferred to Cork and if the 400 staff who, apparently, have not volunteered to transfer to Cork will be used in carrying out the remaining functions of the CSO in Dublin or in what way will their services be utilised? How is it that a decision to relocate large numbers of staff and offices from one part of the State to another has not been costed accurately or adequately so that the Minister of State can tell us how much precisely decentralisation is costing us? Will the Minister of State tell us the precise advantages to be gained in terms of jobs for this country in adopting this musical chairs approach to job creation?

The following activities are being retained in the Central Statistics Office in Dublin: the national accounts; balance of payments and foreign trade statistics — the reason for this is to ensure that they will be adjacent to the principal data sources such as the Revenue Commissioners and the Central Bank — and demographic statistics — mainly because of the necessity to temporarily employ and accommodate more than 200 office staff, particularly for the census of population taken every five years. Staff not moving to Cork will be deployed in the normal manner throughout the Civil Service to fill vacancies that may arise. This is normal practice.

On the question of decentralisation, I do not propose to go into the philosophical arguments; this has always been the policy of my party and other parties in Government. It is not measured solely in terms of money; apart from the economic benefits to be gained in transferring personnel from one part of the country to another there are also social benefits. The decision is taken on that basis. Decentralisation has proved to be a boom for provincial cities and towns.

If a member of the staff who is essential to the operation in Cork decides that he or she does not want to go will they be penalised?

It is not the policy to penalise anyone; the scheme is voluntary. As the Deputy is aware, a number of people have decided that they do not want to go to Cork. They will be used either within the CSO in Dublin where there will be 130 posts or within other Departments in Dublin. Therefore, there is no question of discrimination or victimisation.

Did I hear the Minister of State correctly, that vital statistics are being transferred to Cork and, if so, does this mean that Dublin will be a duller place after the transfer?

That is a sexist remark.

What are the Deputy's vital statistics?

(Interruptions.)

I will be very careful in answering that question in view of the incidents which took place during the past week——

Men have vital statistics also.

——and say that I will not respond to any sexist questions.

It is much too obvious.

I am intrigued that any member of the Civil Service would not want to go to Cork. Have any particular reasons been put forward by those who have declined this very attractive offer?

I cannot see why they would not want to go to Cork either but no specific reasons have been put forward.

They will be going back for Christmas.

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