Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 May 2004
58 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the implementation plan for each Department or agency under her aegis which is to be decentralised; the costs associated with the plan; and if any alteration will be needed to the multi-year financial projections of the Department or agency in question to meet any such costs. [14990/04]
View answerAs part of the decentralisation programme, it was decided that 250 of my Department's core staff would decentralise to Carlow. It was also decided that four of my Department's agencies — FÁS, National Standards Authority of Ireland, Health and Safety Authority and Enterprise Ireland — are also to decentralise to Birr, Arklow, Thomastown and Shannon, respectively.
My Department and the relevant agencies, along with all other decentralising public bodies, recently engaged with the Department of Finance in a series of seminars developed by them to assist decentralising bodies in the preparation of their implementation plans, as required by the report of the decentralisation implementation group, the Flynn group, and due to be completed by the end of this month. Officials of my Department are currently preparing a comprehensive implementation plan on the decentralisation of those sections/offices of the Department which have been approved by me for relocation to Carlow. The relevant agencies of the Department are also preparing their implementation plans. All of these plans will be submitted to the decentralisation implementation group by the end of May deadline.
Until such time that the implementation plans have been completed, it is not possible to provide accurate information either on the implementation plan or on the cost of implementing the decentralisation programme and the budgetary implications for my Department or its agencies.
My Department, together with the Department of Finance, prepares projections of future costs for my Department on a subhead by subhead basis. Those estimates are based on there being no policy change, and that the projections indicate the expected cost of providing the level of service which is currently being provided. At this time, my Department has not prepared a projection of future costs arising on foot of implementing the decentralisation programme.
