asked the Minister for Finance if he will make a statement on the Government's recent announcement on decentralisation of sections of Government Departments.
27.
Written Answers. - Decentralisation Programme.
21.
asked the Minister for Finance if he will specify the sites in the possession of the Office of Public Works in each of the cities and towns selected for decentralisation; the sections in each Department due to be transferred to these areas; and the amount of current and capital moneys allocated for the implementation of decentralisation.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 21 and 27 together.
The Government have initially selected four centres, Galway, Ballina, Sligo and Cavan to which certain sections of the Departments of Defence, the Environment, Social Welfare and Agriculture and Food will be relocated respectively. My Department has written to the Departments concerned asking them to nominate suitable sections for transfer to these centres.
Sites are already owned by the Office of Public Works at Renmore Road in Galway, at Humbert Street-Nally Road in Ballina and at Summerhill in Sligo. I understand that a site in the possession of the local authority in Cavan at Farnham Street which was earmarked for the original 1980 decentralisation programme is still available.
The Government provided a capital allocation of £1 million to the Office of Public Works in the budget to cover the start-up costs to the decentralisation programme. The Office of Public Works has recently advertised through the national press seeking tenders from interested private concerns for the provision of the accommodation required on the basis that such concerns would meet all building costs and lease the properties to the State with an option to purchase.