Written Answers Nos. 247-271
247. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if it is intended to change the eligibility conditions for the grant for the upgrade of private domestic waste water treatment plants to ensure that all registered owners of such plants are eligible for grant aid for necessary works following inspection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39854/16]
View answerThe Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems (Financial Assistance) Regulations 2013, a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas library, brought into operation a grant scheme to assist with the cost of remediation of septic tanks and domestic waste water treatment systems which are deemed, following inspection under the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Inspection Plan, to require repair or upgrading. The grant scheme ensures that the limited financial resources available are targeted towards householders, particularly those on lower incomes, who incur expenditure directly as a result of the implementation of the Water Services (Amendment) Act 2012.
The Regulations provide that, subject to the applicant meeting all qualification criteria, a local authority may pay a grant to a person who is required, following an inspection, to undertake repairs or upgrades to, or replacement of, a septic tank or other domestic waste water treatment system. Applications for grant aid are administered by the local authorities in whose functional area the particular domestic waste water treatment system requiring remediation is situated. Where a local authority pays a grant under the scheme, my Department will recoup 100% of the amount paid by the local authority. Full details of the scheme, including eligibility criteria, are set out in the explanatory leaflet and application form published on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.housing.gov.ie/water/water-quality/domestic-waste-water-systemsseptic-tanks/domestic-waste-water-treatment-0.
It is not proposed to make any changes to the grant scheme at this time.
More generally, householders who do not meet the eligibility criteria for the grant under the aforementioned Regulations and who wish to remediate or upgrade their on-site treatment systems may qualify for relief under the Home Renovation Incentive (HRI) Scheme introduced pursuant to Section 5 of the Finance (No. 2) Act 2013. The HRI Scheme covers main residence repairs, renovations and improvements, including the repair or replacement of septic tanks. The Scheme is administered by the Revenue Commissioners and full details are published on the Revenue Commissioner’s website at www.revenue.ie.
248. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if his Department received an application from Galway County Council for the provision of 42 units of accommodation on the site of the old convent in Clifden; if such an application was received, the date of receipt of the application; when a decision will be made on it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39855/16]
View answerMy Department has not received a proposal in respect of the provision of 42 units of accommodation on the site of the old convent in Clifden. I understand that an approved housing body is currently carrying out a feasibility assessment on such a proposal and is liaising with Galway County Council in this regard. If any such proposal is received by my Department, it will be assessed in the normal manner.
249. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if his Department has been involved in any court proceedings that involved non-disclosure agreements in the past five years; and if so, if the specific court ruling prevented knowledge of the court proceeding being known and knowledge of the participants to the court proceeding from being made known for each of these agreements. [39866/16]
View answerIn the past five years my Department was involved in court proceedings in one case involving a confidentiality agreement. This case was the subject of an out of court settlement and the agreement did not prevent knowledge of either the court proceedings or the participants to the court proceedings from being made known.
250. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if Irish Water can facilitate meaningful study or co-operation on the area of the right to harvest and return rain water to the sewer system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39896/16]
View answerI am fully supportive of technologies which contribute to the conservation of water. Rainwater harvesting has the potential to contribute to reducing the cost of water services for certain uses as well as benefitting the environment.
Since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. Irish Water will continue to examine ways to promote more sustainable use of water services, including rainwater harvesting.
Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. The team can be contacted via email at oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on a dedicated number, 1890 578 578.
251. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the situation that exists for households that wish to access the pyrite remediation scheme but whose builders are currently going through the bankruptcy process in the courts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39943/16]
View answer252. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the situation with an estate (details supplied) which cannot get access to the pyrite remediation scheme; if there is facility in the scheme or legislation to deal with these situations; the action he will take to assist; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39944/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 251 and 252 together.
The Pyrite Resolution Act 2013 provides for the making of a pyrite remediation scheme by the Pyrite Resolution Board for certain dwellings affected by significant pyrite damage. The pyrite remediation scheme is a scheme of “last resort” and is limited in its application and scope. The scheme is applicable to dwellings which are subject to significant damage attributable to pyritic heave established in accordance with I.S. 398-1:2013 - Reactive pyrite in sub-floor hardcore material – Part 1: Testing and categorisation protocol. In addition, applicants under the scheme must be able to demonstrate to the Board that they have no practicable options, other than under the scheme, to secure the remediation of their homes. It is a condition of eligibility under the scheme that an application to the Board must be accompanied by a Building Condition Assessment with a Damage Condition Rating of 2.
In this regard, there is no impediment for any householder, for whom the builder of their home is currently going through a bankruptcy process, to make an application under the pyrite remediation scheme.
The Pyrite Resolution Board, with the support of the Housing Agency, is responsible for the implementation of the pyrite remediation scheme. In accordance with the provisions of the Act, the Board is independent in the performance of its functions, and as Minister, I have no role in the operational matters pertaining to the implementation of the scheme. The Board may be contacted by phone at Lo-call 1890 252842 or by email to info@pyriteboard.ie.
253. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the reason for the delay in bringing forward guidelines for wind farm developments. [38504/16]
View answerIn December 2013, my Department published proposed draft revisions to the noise, setback distance and shadow flicker aspects of the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines. These draft revisions proposed:
- the setting of a more stringent day- and night-time noise limit of 40 decibels for future wind energy developments,
- a mandatory minimum setback distance of 500 metres between a wind turbine and the nearest dwelling for amenity considerations, and
- the complete elimination of shadow flicker between wind turbines and neighbouring dwellings.
A public consultation process was also initiated on these proposed draft revisions to the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines, which ran until February 2014. The Department received submissions from 7,500 organisations and members of the public during this public consultation process.
In light of the commitment in the Programme for A Partnership Government to finalise the Guidelines and ongoing policy and legal developments in this area, my Department is continuing to advance work on the Guidelines and related matters in conjunction with the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, in order to bring the various issues to a conclusion as early as possible. It is intended to make a statement on the matter before the end of the year, outlining the timelines for the implementation of the various elements.
254. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if there are limits placed on the amount local authorities may borrow from the Housing Finance Agency for the purpose of building social housing. [39991/16]
View answerMy Department has responsibility for the provision of funding for social housing delivered through local authorities and approved housing bodies. The overall strategic objective of Government housing policy is to enable all households to access good quality housing appropriate to their household circumstances and in sustainable communities of their choice. The main focus of social housing supports is on meeting the most acute housing needs among the population, within the resources available. Thus, State-funded housing supports will continue to be targeted at those people who are unable to provide for their accommodation from their own resources, as measured by their annual net income.
To support the implementation of Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, I have secured €5.35 billion in Exchequer investment to deliver 47,000 social housing units through build, refurbishment, acquisitions and leasing, over the period 2016 to 2021. This €5.35 billion investment comprises some €4.5 billion in capital funding and €844 million in support of programmes funded from current expenditure. In addition, €200 million is being provided for the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund through investment in key enabling infrastructure.
Under Budget 2017, some €1.3bn will be invested across the broad range of housing programmes next year, including those covered by the Rebuilding Ireland investment programme. The annual allocations for the years 2018 to 2021 will be finalised in the context of the annual budgetary process.
My Department monitors the impact of Non-Mortgage borrowing by local authorities on the General Government Balance (GGB) on an on-going basis. While there is a requirement for the overall borrowing of the local government sector to remain within the GGB parameters, should there be a requirement to borrow for social housing purposes, my Department will consider any sanction request in the context of supporting priority infrastructural investment, meeting contractual commitments and ensuring appropriate projects can proceed. Borrowing is a reserved function of each local authority; a local authority must demonstrate that any borrowing is matched by appropriate repayment capacity. However, given the funding being made available through Rebuilding Ireland, I am satisfied that sufficient capital funding is being made available to local authorities for social housing.
255. Deputy Jan O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will provide a list of the second round of library services applying to his Department for funding for the open library initiative in 2017; the locations that were included in these applications; the amounts applied for in each application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40041/16]
View answerI refer to the reply to Question No. 201 of Tuesday, 6 December, 2016 which sets out the position in this matter.
256. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the steps proposed to be taken in relation to ensuring that dumped material in the Old Mud Dock, Galway is removed; if he has yet received the final legal advice from the Chief State Solicitor's office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40078/16]
View answerMy Department has received further legal advice on this matter. Efforts are continuing through correspondence and otherwise to narrow the identity of the appropriate parties involved in placing material on State owned foreshore without consent. This is necessary as any parties against whom legal proceedings are contemplated are obliged to be put on notice.
257. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if there is any grant support available to persons who may have the opportunity to connect into the main sewerage system as part of a major investment project by Irish Water (details supplied). [40099/16]
View answerSince 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. The team can be contacted via email to oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on a dedicated number, 1890 578 578.
Under my Department’s new Rural Water Multi-annual Programme 2016-2018, funding is provided for demonstration Group Sewerage Schemes, through Measure 4(d), where clustering of households on individual septic tanks is not a viable option, particularly from an environmental perspective.
Local authorities were invited in January 2016 to submit bids under the programme. The invitation envisaged no more than two demonstration sewerage projects being brought forward under the measure in any one year of the three year programme. The demonstrations will allow my Department, over the course of the programme, to determine the appropriate enduring funding levels and relationship with the current grant scheme.
Following examination of all local authorities’ proposals under this measure by the Expert Panel convened for this purpose, schemes were recommended for funding under the Programme. A copy of the Expert Panel’s report and consideration of all proposals under the Programme including details of grants under the Programme are available on my Department’s website at the following link: http://housing.gov.ie/water/water-services/rural-water-programme/group-water-schemes-and-rural-water-issues.
259. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will review the pyrite remediation scheme to deal with the issue of category one homeowners and others that find themselves in limbo due to the fact they live in a pyrite estate. [40106/16]
View answer260. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of category one pyrite-affected homes. [40107/16]
View answer262. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if a review is under way of the pyrite remediation scheme. [40109/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 259, 260 and 262 together.
The Pyrite Resolution Act 2013 provides for the making of a pyrite remediation scheme by the Pyrite Resolution Board for certain dwellings affected by significant pyrite damage. The Report of the Pyrite Panel (June 2012) provided the overarching framework for the pyrite remediation scheme and its eligibility criteria are broadly reflective of the conclusions and recommendations of that report. The independent Pyrite Panel was clear in its view that only dwellings with significant damage due to pyritic heave should be remediated and that it would be unreasonable to expect dwellings not exhibiting such damage to be remediated unless or until they exhibit significant pyritic damage. This remains the position with regard to dwellings which do not display significant pyritic damage.
The pyrite remediation scheme is a scheme of “last resort” and is limited in its application and scope. The scheme is applicable to dwellings which are subject to significant damage attributable to pyritic heave established in accordance with I.S. 398-1:2013 - Reactive pyrite in sub-floor hardcore material – Part 1: Testing and categorisation protocol. It is a condition of eligibility under the scheme that an application to the Board must be accompanied by a Building Condition Assessment with a Damage Condition Rating of 2. Dwellings which do not have a Damage Condition Rating of 2 are not eligible to apply under the scheme. I have no proposals to amend this eligibility criterion nor do I propose to review the scheme in this regard.
Given that the scheme does not apply to dwellings which have a Damage Condition Rating of 1, the Pyrite Resolution Board does not maintain records on the number of properties that fall into this category. Nevertheless, the Board is aware that 10 dwellings, which had a Damage Condition Rating of 1 when their building condition assessments were first completed, and which were refused under the scheme, have now progressed to a Damage Condition Rating of 2; these dwellings have now been included in the pyrite remediation scheme following the submission of new applications.
261. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of pyrite damaged houses in County Meath that have applications for remediation under the pyrite remediation scheme; and the number that have been remediated. [40108/16]
View answerThe latest figures available from the Pyrite Resolution Board indicate that 1,458 applications have been received under the pyrite remediation scheme, of which 1,077 have been approved for inclusion in the scheme as follows:
- 275 are at remedial works planning stage,
- 44 are at tender / tender analysis,
- 35 are at tender decision,
- 211 are under remediation, and
- 512 are complete.
Specifically, having regard to the area of Meath County Council, the latest figures available from the Board indicate that 379 applications have been received under the pyrite remediation scheme from homeowners, of which 180 have been completed and a further 19 are under remediation.
Ultimately, the Board, together with the Housing Agency, will arrange for all eligible dwellings to be remediated to a high standard and at no additional cost to the affected homeowners. Remediation works will continue to be carried out at the earliest possible opportunity having regard to the existing demands of the scheme and the optimum use of available resources.
263. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his views on the establishment of an electoral commission to take over many of the functions related to the conduct of elections; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40113/16]
View answerIn 2015, on the basis of a consultation paper prepared by my Department, and at the invitation of the then Minister, the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht undertook a public consultation process on the establishment of an electoral commission. The Committee published a report on the consultation in January 2016. This report contains a series of recommendations regarding the establishment of an electoral commission, including functions which should be assigned to it; independence, membership and accountability mechanisms; and the establishment process. The report will inform the implementation of the commitment in A Programme for a Partnership Government on establishing an electoral commission. The establishment of an electoral commission will bring a fundamentally changed approach to the management and administration of elections and will require detailed consideration and analysis prior to legislating for its establishment. The matter is currently under consideration in my Department.
264. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the name and number of Bills in preparation in his Department and published by his Department since May 2016; the stage each Bill is at in the Houses of the Oireachtas; the number of Bills from his Department signed into law; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40134/16]
View answerSix Bills are in preparation in my Department; two Bills have been published and are currently before the Oireachtas; and two Bills have been signed into law.
Information on the Bills is set out in the following tables.
|
Bills in Preparation |
|
Building Control Bill |
|
Electoral Commission Bill |
|
Housing (Regulation of Approved Housing Bodies) Bill |
|
Maritime Area and Foreshore (Amendment) Bill |
|
Rates Bill |
|
Water Environment Bill |
|
Bills published |
Stage in the Oireachtas |
|
Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016 |
Currently at Second Stage in the Dáil. |
|
Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016 |
Scheduled for Dáil Committee Stage on 13th December. |
|
Bills signed into law |
|
Electoral (Amendment) Act 2016 |
|
Water Services (Amendment) Act 2016 |
265. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is within its rights to assess carer's allowance for rent purposes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40167/16]
View answerThe making and amending of rent schemes is the responsibility of local authorities as an integral part of their housing management functions, subject to broad principles laid down by my Department in Circular letter HRT 3/2002 of 6 March 2002. It is a matter for local authorities, when assessing individual households, to consider whether rents payable are in accordance with the authority’s rent scheme. Therefore, decisions on whether or not to disregard either a proportion of income or particular sources of income for the purposes of calculating rents are matters for each individual local authority to consider in accordance with their own rent scheme.
Section 31 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 allows the Minister to make regulations in respect of various matters to be included in a rent scheme. These can include the sources of household income that may be assessed for the purpose of determining rent levels.
Considerable work has been carried out by my Department in developing a draft framework for a harmonisation of the approach to be taken by local authorities in regard to various aspects of rent schemes. This includes providing for a common set of income disregards to be applied by all housing authorities in determining a household’s assessable income for rent calculation purposes.
These proposals are now being examined further in the light of the broader commitment given in the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, to review the disparate systems of differential rents for social housing in place across local authorities to ensure that housing supports are fair and sustainable, prioritise those on lowest incomes and avoid creating social welfare traps that may prevent people from either returning to work or to the private housing market. This review will be completed by the end of the second Quarter 2017.
266. Deputy Marc MacSharry asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will provide all examples of entire units that have been re-centralised back to Dublin from within his Department; his Department's rationale for such moves; and if Cabinet approval was sought and given in each case. [40550/16]
View answerFollowing an overall review of decentralisation, in November 2011, a Government decision gave effect to the winding down of a number of individual decentralisation projects. As part of the implementation of this decision the original proposal to designate the then Department of Environment, Community and Local Government’s Wexford office as Headquarters was rescinded.
The reconfiguration of my Department in 2011 and again earlier this year has resulted in a number of reviews and restructurings of divisions and sections generally, including the further expansion of the Housing function and the creation of new sections to support delivery of this important priority for Government. These restructurings have resulted in the movement of pieces of work between the Department's three locations in some cases but no entire unit has been re-centralised back to Dublin as a result.
267. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a person (details supplied) in County Donegal was refused domiciliary care allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39381/16]
View answerAn application for Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) was received from this lady on the 4th May 2016. A decision issued to her on the 25th August 2016 advising that the application was not allowed, as it was considered that her daughter did not meet the qualifying conditions for the scheme.
An appeal of the decision to disallow the application has been submitted to the Social Welfare Appeals Office (SWAO). As part of that appeal process, a review of the decision was undertaken by another deciding officer. This lady was notified on the 2nd December 2016, that following a re-examination of the application the original decision was upheld. The DCA application file, together with the additional information she supplied, was forwarded to the SWAO on the 5th December 2016 for their consideration. The SWAO will be in contact with her in due course on the outcome of her appeal.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
268. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an application for domiciliary care allowance in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39733/16]
View answerAn application for domiciliary care allowance (DCA) was received in respect of this child on the 26th July 2016. The application was not allowed as it was considered that the child did not meet the eligibility criteria for the allowance. A letter issued on 9 November 2016 outlining the decision in this case.
A request for a review of this decision was received on 16 November 2016. The application will be re-examined by a deciding officer and a revised decision will be made if warranted. The person concerned will be notified of the outcome of this review as soon as it is completed. Such reviews can take up to 12 weeks to complete at present.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
269. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an application for domiciliary care allowance in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39735/16]
View answerAn application for domiciliary care allowance (DCA) was received in respect of this child on 23 November 2016. This application has been forwarded to one of the Department’s Medical Assessors for their medical opinion. Following receipt of this opinion, a decision will be made by a Deciding Officer and notified to the applicant. Applications are processed in date of receipt order. It can currently take 14 weeks to process an application for DCA.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
270. Deputy Marc MacSharry asked the Minister for Social Protection further to the centralisation of the information section of the Department of Social Protection, the costs associated with such a move in terms of new unit establishment in Dublin, recruitment, training and redeployment. [40169/16]
View answer271. Deputy Marc MacSharry asked the Minister for Social Protection his Department's rationale for the centralisation of an entire unit of his Department, the information section; if Cabinet approval was sought and given in this case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40170/16]
View answer343. Deputy Marc MacSharry asked the Minister for Social Protection if the Cabinet approved the centralisation of the information section of his Department from Sligo back to Dublin; if so, the basis on which it was approved; and if not, the reason therefor. [40162/16]
View answer344. Deputy Marc MacSharry asked the Minister for Social Protection when he or the Cabinet devolved powers to enable the centralisation of the information section of his Department to the Secretary General and other officials within his Department (details supplied). [40163/16]
View answer345. Deputy Marc MacSharry asked the Minister for Social Protection the body of work to be decentralised or transferred to Sligo to facilitate the 32 persons who, heretofore, have worked within the information section of his Department that will now be redeployed. [40164/16]
View answer346. Deputy Marc MacSharry asked the Minister for Social Protection if, in view of the centralisation of the information section back to Dublin from Sligo and his Department's stated position that each of the 32 individuals working within it in Sligo will be redeployed within the departmental office in Sligo, the positions these persons will take up; if it is it to existing and future vacancies in his Department; if so, if this will mean that any transfer request to Sligo from within the Civil Service or external applications for jobs within his Department will only be dealt with after the 32 former information section workers in Sligo are placed; if the 32 positions that exist in the departmental office in Sligo will cease to exist; if the 32 persons displaced by this centralisation require training to enable redeployment; and if so, the costs associated with this. [40165/16]
View answer347. Deputy Marc MacSharry asked the Minister for Social Protection the precise costs associated with the re-establishment of his Department's information section in Dublin following its centralisation from Sligo back to Dublin; the recruitment costs associated with it; and the training costs which will be incurred. [40166/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 270, 271 and 343 to 347, inclusive, together.
At the outset it is very important to note that no jobs will be leaving Sligo rather staff will be reassigned roles within the area.
The Department of Social Protection is responsible for the administration of 70 separate schemes and services at a cost of some €20 billion a year, which affect the lives of almost every person in the State. As the nature of our business changes, the organisation must adapt and structure itself in the most efficient way for effective service delivery. Functions move between locations in the Department to deal with business efficiencies.
A number of elements of the Communications and Customer Services functions are being brought together within a new unit in Dublin. One of the consequences of this reorganisation is that over the coming months 25 staff in the information section Sligo will transition to other important roles in the area. Government approval is not required for such internal reorganisations.
Sligo is a key location for Departments Services with 654 staff located there. The Department's office in College Road in Sligo administers national schemes including State and other Pensions, Household Benefits, the School Meals Programme and Supplementary Welfare Allowance Policy. Since 2013 the Department's office in College Road has taken on all of the following additional functions - administering the deduction at source facility from welfare benefits for Local Property Tax, payments to the women under the Magdalen Commission Scheme and the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSCFA). The administration of the BSCFA in Sligo, since 2015, involves the recruitment of some 50 staff, mainly local, for a period of up to 6 months. More recently payment of the Water Conservation Grant was administered from the Sligo Offices. The Department also has an Intreo Centre in Sligo, located at Cranmore Road.
The change to Information section location is in no way a diminution in the Department’s regional office structure; 65% of the Department’s 6,300 staff are located outside of Dublin. Sligo was among the first locations within the Department selected for decentralisation, with 450 posts earmarked to decentralise to Sligo in 1989. A further seven successful decentralisation initiatives have followed, with staff and schemes areas administered from Letterkenny, Buncrana, Roscommon, Longford, Dundalk and Waterford.
Within the Department, the movement of staff between roles is ongoing and actively managed to allow the Department respond to changing demands while promoting staff development and better succession planning. Such moves, including the movement of staff from Information Section to other business areas, are supported where necessary by the provision of training and other supports. Other than such costs, the staff changes mentioned will incur no additional cost to the Exchequer. The transfer of staff between locations, whether by way of internal or external transfer lists or redeployment will continue to take place in accordance with all relevant agreements.
