asked the Minister for Finance whether he has carried out any evaluation as to the merits of Cork as a centre to be considered in any policy of decentralisation; and, if not, if he will now do so.
52.
Written Answers. - Decentralisation Proposals.
31.
asked the Minister for Finance the proposals he has to decentralise some of the activities of Government Departments to Cork; the activities it is proposed to decentralise; and when this decentralisation will occur.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 31 and 52 together. The Government's current decentralisation programme is based on the original list of centres selected in 1980 when decentralisation of Government Departments to provincial centres was first proposed. These centres are at Athlone, Ballina, Cavan, Dundalk, Ennis, Galway, Killarney, Letterkenny, Limerick, Nenagh, Sligo and Waterford.
The decision to confine the revived programme to the centres selected in 1980 was guided by the ready availability of sites in many of these locations, and the degree of preliminary planning which had been carried out regarding both the accommodation required and the staff to be transferred.
The decentralisation programme now under way is an ambitious one, and the Government's present priority is its implementation. The Government will however at a later date and in the light of the experience gained be in a position to consider representations from other centres, including Cork, as further locations for decentralised offices.
I would also like to point out that Cork already benefits from Civil Service employment with almost 1,400 staff serving in the Departments of Agriculture (400), Social Welfare (160), Justice (160), Communications (90), Office of the Revenue Commissioners (400) and others (170).