The original Government decision on the decentralisation of my Department was that 600 headquarters staff would move to Portlaoise; some 100 staff in the local offices in Cork city would move to Fermoy; and up to 100 staff in the laboratories in Cork and Limerick would move to Macroom. Fisheries joined the Department in 2007 and the move of that function of my Department to Clonakilty is now substantially complete with 84 staff having moved there since the programme began. The decision regarding state agencies was that Bord Bia would move to Enniscorthy and Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) would move to Clonakilty.
Following the decentralisation announcement in the Budget 2009, the moves to Portlaoise and Clonakilty (including BIM) were approved by Government to proceed. The moves to Fermoy, Macroom and Enniscorthy have been deferred pending a review in 2011.
My Department's original Decentralisation Implementation Plan allowed for a phased move to Portlaoise and the 2005, 2006 and 2007 advance phases of decentralisation to Portlaoise were completed on schedule. To date, the Department has met its targets as set out in its original plan and in total, since the programme was announced, there has been an increase of 297 full-time posts in Portlaoise bringing the total number there to almost 500. The Office of Public Works (OPW) announced last December that a consortium, the Macquarie Partnership, has won the tender for the project to build the permanent offices in Portlaoise (as part of a public private partnership including offices in Mullingar and Carlow) and planning permission for the new building has now been granted. A revision to the Department's Decentralisation Implementation Plan is now being considered, to reflect the changes to the timetable and the progress so far, as well as the evolving operating environment. An additional advance phase has been agreed and planning and preparations for this phase are currently underway.
The acquisition of property for the decentralisation programme is dealt with primarily by the Office of Public Works (OPW) and they have supplied the following details of the site acquisition at the two locations.
Location
|
Site Area
|
Status
|
Portlaoise
|
9.13 acres
|
Purchase completed in 2007
|
Clonakilty
|
3.1 acres
|
Purchase completed in 2005
|
The Clonakilty decentralisation offices are due to be completed in Quarter 1 2009, at a cost of approximately €21m.
Premises
|
Lease
|
Rent p.a.
|
Area
|
Fit-out
|
|
|
€
|
|
€
|
2nd & 3rd Floors, Eircom Building, Knockmay Industrial Estate
|
5 years from 25 April 2005 — Expires 24 January 2010
|
191,000
|
14,224 sq. ft plus 80 car spaces
|
Nil
|
Blocks A & B, Grattan Business Centre, Dublin Road
|
5 years from 20 January 2006 — Option to terminate lease every 3 months from 20 January 2009
|
264,640
|
15,920 sq. ft plus 100 car spaces
|
106,000
|
Ground & 1st Floors, Grattan House, Grattan Business Centre, Dublin Road
|
5 years from 30 November 2007 — Option to terminate lease every 6 months from 29 November 2010
|
75,000
|
4,359 sq. ft plus 35 car spaces
|
Nil
|
Pending delivery of the permanent accommodation, the OPW has leased accommodation for the Department in Clonakilty on a temporary basis, as set out in a table.
Premises
|
Lease
|
Rent p.a.
|
Area
|
Fit-out
|
|
|
€
|
|
€
|
Block C, West Cork Technology Park
|
2 years from 1 July 2006 Extended to coincide with delivery of permanent offices
|
159,480
|
12,400 sq. ft.
|
134,900
|
Block G, West Cork Technology Park
|
2 years from 1 June 2007
|
118,910
|
9,363 sq. ft.
|
116,744
|