Vol. 563 No. 4
223 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Finance if decisions have been made in respect of selecting destinations for the decentralisation of Departments; if not, when such destinations are likely to be identified; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7792/03]
The Government is committed to moving forward the progressive decentralisation of Government offices and agencies. As I have said previously, a wide range of important issues, including the national spatial strategy, have to be considered before a final decision is taken on this matter. It is vital that all involved are consulted, be they staff concerned about their futures or departmen tal managements concerned about the delivery of the public services for which they have responsibility. Given these wide-ranging considerations it is not possible for me to state at this time when the Government will be in a position to take a decision on the issue of decentralisation.
