Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 June 2004
88 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the risk analysis and the cost benefit analysis which she has carried out or proposes to carry out in respect of decentralisation as it affects her Department. [19080/04]
View answerMy Department has recently prepared and submitted to the central implementation group, an initial implementation plan for the decentralisation of those sections/offices of the Department which have been approved by me for relocation to Carlow. The plan clearly demonstrates that risk minimisation and mitigation were a primary concern for the Department when making decisions in the context of decentralisation. In addition, many of the areas of the Department identified for relocation have recently undergone business process re-engineering exercises which will now be revisited in the context of decentralisation.
Officials of the Department are now planning to prepare an overall risk assessment framework to assess direct and indirect risks, threats to, and opportunities for the synergies between the Department and its agencies during and post decentralisation. My Department will undertake a detailed examination on the various issues which may impact on the cost of implementing the decentralisation programme in order to both quantify and, where possible, minimise the various costs involved. However, at this early stage in the decentralisation process it is important to be aware that crucial information, such as the outcome of the results of the central applications facility, will be a critical factor in the effective analysis of cost benefits in respect of the decentralisation programme and in the development of risk assessment and risk mitigation strategies.
The four agencies operating under the aegis of my Department which have also been identified for decentralisation — FÁS, the National Standards Authority of Ireland, the Health and Safety Authority and Enterprise Ireland — have also finalised their initial implementation plans and have indicated that they will undertake separate risk assessments within their organisations to identify potential issues with regard to their internal and external interfaces. It will also be the responsibility of the agencies to undertake any examination of the costs and benefits associated with their relocation under the decentralisation programme.
89 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the average annual increase in salary costs, overtime and travel to, from and in the decentralised offices in the three years following decentralisation compared to these costs for those business units in the three years preceding decentralisation, in respect of the last decentralisation by her Department. [19095/04]
View answerTo date the Patents Office is the only office in my Department that has decentralised. The Patents Office moved to Kilkenny in 1998. The total costs for salaries, overtime and travel for the three years prior to decentralisation — 1995, 1996 and 1997 — were €6,474,802. The comparable costs for the three years following decentralisation — 1998,1999 and 2000 — were €6,679,704. This represents an overall increase of 3.2%.
The average annual increase in salary costs, overtime and travel for this office in the two years preceding decentralisation, 1996 and 1997, were as shown in the tables. It should be noted that comparable 1994 figures are not available and, accordingly, no figure for increase in 1995 on 1994 is possible.
|
% |
|
|
Salaries |
+ 2.3 |
|
Overtime |
+ 123.2 |
|
Travel |
+ 22.6 |
The average annual changes over the subsequent three years 1998 to 2000 were as follows:
|
% |
|
|
Salaries |
— 3 |
|
Overtime |
— 3.4 |
|
Travel |
+ 45 |
90 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of persons decentralised and the full duration of the project, in respect of the last decentralisation by her Department; the number of internal and external transfers which were required to obtain the requisite number of persons decentralising; the amount of time necessary to train decentralising persons and the percentage and duration of overlapping staff which was required; and the additional costs for overtime and travel and subsistence incurred. [19110/04]
View answerThe Government decided on 14 March 1995 to relocate the Patents Office, an office of my Department, to Kilkenny. The Government decision required that the business services unit of the Department of Finance undertake a study of the Patents Office to establish the necessary management structure, business processes and information technology requirements to ensure a successful relocation to Kilkenny. The Department of Finance commenced its review in September 1995. After its completion in late 1996, my Department proceeded with arrangements in January 1997 for the move of the Patents Office to Kilkenny. The Patents Office relocated to Kilkenny on 1 September 1998, which involved the relocation of 68 posts in total.
Of the staff who transferred to Kilkenny in September 1998, 15 staff were relocated from within my Department, 43 were transferred from other Departments and four specialist staff were recruited directly to the Patents Office in Kilkenny. With regard to job and people changes required to achieve decentralisation of the Patents Office, the best estimate of the Department is that there were an average of 3.5 people changes for every job decentralised.
The training in period required for administrative staff varied across grades and was dependent on the specific duties involved, ranging typically from one month to three months. The overlapping of administrative staff also varied from a number of days to one month, the period being determined by the specific duties and grades involved. Three information technology unit staff for Kilkenny were in place one year in advance of the move. Staff vacancies and priorities elsewhere across the Department at the time also impacted on the period of staff overlap. Eight staff were designated as key trainers in advance of the move and each provided training to new staff arriving in the office from late 1997 until relocation on 1 September 1998. The period that key trainers overlapped with their direct replacements ranged from one month to three months.
The costs for overtime and travel and subsistence for the Patents Office for the period 1996 to 2002 are outlined in the following table.
|
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
|
|
Overtime |
16,548.81 |
58,486.56 |
104,732.19 |
48,200.25 |
31,145.14 |
26,960.97 |
24,278.28 |
|
Travel and Subsistence |
30,419.03 |
20,047.73 |
38,535.08 |
60,335.84 |
52,155.84 |
72,958.08 |
70,976.84 |
