As I announced in my budget statement, €20 million has been provided in my Department's Vote for 2004 to meet any up-front capital costs arising from decentralisation. The report of the decentralisation implementation group, which was accepted by the Government in April, set out the blueprint for proceeding with decentralisation, including the option of developing new offices on sites to be acquired by OPW as well as the possibility of adapting existing buildings.
The Office of Public Works has made considerable progress on the procurement front to the extent that my Department has already sanctioned the acquisition of a six acre site in Longford at a cost of €510,000. I expect finalisation of acquisition deals to accelerate in the coming months with a consequent increase in the rate of expenditure under this heading.