Vol. 540 No. 2
76 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if plans are under way at his Department to decentralise sections of his Department to locations outside Dublin; if negotiations have taken place with the representatives of workers at his Department on decentralisation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20089/01]
Some 100 of the Department's staff are scheduled for relocation to Dundalk during 2002 under the Government's decentralisation programme. The original decision to decentralise to Dundalk was made in 1980. Plans for this move are currently under way. Staff representatives have been consulted at all stages of the project.
The Dundalk phase of the decentralisation programme will be the fifth in which the Department has been involved and will bring to over 1,000 the number of posts relocated from Dublin under the programme. Any future plans in regard to decentralising further sections of the Department would be in the context of Government policy on decentralisation.
In addition to the decentralised offices, the Department has a network of local and regional offices spread around the country.
