Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 January 2004
350 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Finance if any union made recommendations or submitted a report to his Department concerning the decentralisation plans of the Government; if such recommendations were made or reports submitted, if he will detail the principal recommendations or findings made by the union; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2285/04]
View answerFollowing the initial announcement in budget 2000 that the Government intended to proceed with a new programme of decentralisation, one major public service union, the Civil and Public Services Union, provided advice on the development of criteria for the programme. The CPSU suggested that selection criteria should take account of factors such as the following: socio-economic considerations; known staff preferences; availability of education and hospital facilities; the need to build sustainable promotional structures at a regional level but also avoid a detrimental impact on promotion opportunities for staff remaining in Dublin; the inclusion of senior level posts; the advantages of including locations in the vicinity of Dublin; and the need to maintain service to the public. I was appreciative of the submission made by the CPSU at that time and I consider that the programme announced in budget 2004 takes full account of the points raised in the submission.
