Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 21 Apr 1994

Vol. 441 No. 7

Written Answers. - Decentralisation Programme.

Ivor Callely

Ceist:

44 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Finance the total number of jobs, with a breakdown by Department, that have been transferred out of Dublin under the Government's decentralisation policy; the areas to which transfers have taken place; the number of positions transferred to each of these areas; the total cost involved to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for Finance (Mr. B. Ahern)

Details of the total number of staff, the Departments transferred and the areas to which the transfers have taken place are set out in tabular form which I propose, to circulate in the Official Report.

With regard to cost, the expenditure on the decentralisation programme falls into two broad categories: (1) direct costs of the new accommodation and (2) expenditure on furniture, fittings, computerisation and equipment and on staff and training.

The Government decided that the new office accommodation should be constructed by private developers under lease purchase arrangements where payments are made by the State on an annual basis. These costs are borne by the Office of Public Works and the total annual payments made to date on all completed accommodation is £13.3 million. (In addition the Office of Public Works expended some £50,000 on the acquisation of a site in Cavan).

Expenditure on furniture, fittings, computerisation and equipment and on staff and training is a matter for the relevant Departments/Offices whose staff are being decentralised and information in regard to these costs may be sought by tabling a question to the relevant Ministers. That information is not available in my Department, except in the case of Revenue. In that case the total of these costs in repect of their three decentralisation projects (Ennis, Nenagh and Limerick) was £12.7 million to end of March 1994.

While the present decentralisation programme is well under way it will take some time to complete. Pending completion of the Programme and a review as to its effectiveness, it is not the intention to expand the programme further.

PROJECTS COMPLETED

Details of Departments, locations and staff numbers transferred or to be transferred out of Dublin under the Government's decentralisation programme.

Department-Office	Location	Number of staff
Defence	Galway	193
Social Welfare	Sligo	389
	Letterkenny	176
Justice	Killarney	130
Agriculture and Food	Cavan	114
Education	Athlone	171
Environment	Ballina	115
Revenue	Ennis	153
	Nenagh	215
	Limerick¹	550
Central Statistics Office²	Cork	378
Social Welfare	Longford	200
Total		2,784

¹To date 253 persons have located in Limerick with 297 to follow.

²To date, 320 persons have located in Cork. Fifty-eight vacancies remain to be filled.