Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 16 Dec 2003

Vol. 577 No. 3

Written Answers. - Decentralisation Programme.

Eamon Gilmore

Ceist:

233 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has consulted the boards or management or staff of the agencies under the aegis of his Department in regard to proposals to decentralise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30950/03]

John Bruton

Ceist:

237 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number and grade of the staff to move from Dublin to Limerick in regard to the move of Development Co-Operation Ireland; the square footage of the office in which those staff are currently located in Dublin; if the office is owned by the State; if not, the plans for the disposal of this office once the proposed move has been effected; the precise location in Limerick to which the staff will move; the proposed square footage of the office accommodation to be provided there; if the accommodation in question is already built; if not, the plans for building the accommodation; if Development Co-Operation Ireland will be maintaining a location in Dublin in order to provide a base for assistance to him in regard to Dáil Éireann business, meeting delegations and so on; if so, the location of this accommodation; if discussions have taken place with staff interests with regard to the move; if the staff moving will be eligible for disturbance money; if not, if an estimate has been made of the additional travelling costs and expenses claims which will be incurred; when he expects the move to Limerick to be fully complete; if he expects that difficulties will arise in regard to the administration of policy in his Department arising from the fact that the office will no longer be close; and if arrangements will be made for civil servants who are local authority tenants in Dublin to obtain similar tenancies in Limerick. [31074/03]

Eamon Gilmore

Ceist:

239 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number in respect of the sections of his Department or boards or agencies operating under the aegis of his Department, it is proposed to decentralised which are currently housed in leased office space or premises; the annual amount paid in rent in each case; when the lease runs out in each case; if there are financial penalties involved in the breaking of the lease in each case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31297/03]

Enda Kenny

Ceist:

240 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the numbers employed by category and grade in his Department in which decentralisation is involved; the current numbers by grade in each office decentralised to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30817/03]

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Cowen):

I propose to take Questions Nos. 233, 237, 239 and 240 together.

In December 1999, the Minister for Finance announced in his Budget Statement that the Government intended to proceed with a new more radical programme of decentralisation, involving up to 10,000 civil and public servants. That intention was also signalled in An Agreed Programme for Government 2002-2007, where it was stated that "We will move forward the progressive decentralisation of Government Offices and Agencies taking into account the national spatial strategy".

Since his original announcement, the Minister for Finance and his Department have had extensive consultations about the issue with interested parties, including other Departments, Civil Service staff unions and associations and the strategic management initiative implementation group of Secretaries General. The Minister for Finance also received submissions, representations and inquiries from or on behalf of a large number of centres throughout the country seeking to be included in the new programme.

Arising from this process, the Minister for Finance, on 3 December last, sought and received Government approval for the new programme of decentralisation, the details of which he later announced in Dáil Éireann during his budget 2004 speech. Under the programme, the development co-operation directorate of the Department of Foreign Affairs will be transferred to Limerick. Details of the directorate's staffing numbers and payroll costs are given in table 1 below.

In approving the decentralisation programme, the Government decided it would be put in place over the next three years and that it would be overseen by a special Cabinet sub-committee comprising the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Ministers for Finance and Environment, Heritage and Local Government and that decentralisation would be on a voluntary basis and without the payment of relocation expenses. The Government also approved the establishment of an implementation committee, which would be charged with developing a detailed implementation plan and associated communications strategy. The Minister for Finance announced the membership of the committee on 4 December. The committee will be chaired by Mr. Phil Flynn. The other members are Mr. Dermot Quigley, former chairman of the Revenue Commissioners, Ms Jane Williams, managing director, Sia Group, Mr. Fred Devlin, chartered surveyor, Mr. Eddie Sullivan, secretary general, PSMD, Department of Finance, and Mr. Seán Benton, chairman, Office of Public Works. The committee has been asked to provide an implementation plan to the Cabinet sub-committee on decentralisation by the end of March 2004.

Preliminary discussions have been held with departmental staff representatives about the decentralisation programme and with the management of the Agency for Personal Service Overseas, APSO. That agency is in the process of being integrated into the Department of Foreign Affairs and it is expected that this process will be completed in the very near future. Another body under the aegis of this Department, the Ireland-United States Commission for Educational Exchange, the Fulbright Commission, is not directly affected by the programme.

A passport office was established in Cork City in 1987. Details of the current staffing numbers for this office are given in table 2 below. I also announced in February of this year, plans to transfer sections of the Dublin passport office to Balbriggan in 2004. The staffing arrangements for the Balbriggan passport office are under consideration at present.

Responsibility for all office accommodation issues relating to the decentralisation programme has been given to the Office of Public Works. An additional €20 million has been provided for in the Department of Finance Vote to meet any up front investment required in 2004. Any capital funding requirements for future years will be dealt with within the overall five year capital allocation framework announced in the budget. The Department of Foreign Affairs will be working with the Office of Public Works to secure a suitable premises in Limerick for the development co-operation directorate. The directorate currently occupies 4,300 sq. metres of rented office accommodation at Bishop's Square, Redmond's Hill, Dublin 2. The annual rental cost for this accommodation is €1,624,136.18. The expiry date for the lease, which is held by the Office of Public Works, is 3 January 2022.

As regards other issues relating to the decentralisation programme, a committee has been formed within the Department to consider the practical and all other aspects of the decentralisation move.

Table 1

Staffing of the Development Co-operation Directorate of the Department of Foreign Affairs

Grades	Posts
Minister of State	1
Personal Assistant/Secretary to Minister of State	2
Assistant Secretary	1
Counsellor/Principal Officer	7
Principal Development Specialist	3
Assistant Principal/ First Secretary	18
Senior Development Specialist	9
Development Specialist	17
Higher Executive Officer	13
Third Secretary	5
Executive Officer/Staff Officer	19
Clerical Officer	30
Services Officer	3
Civilian Driver	2
Total	130

Estimated total annual payroll costs €5.6 million

Table 2

Staffing of the passport office Cork

Grades	Posts
Higher Executive Officer	2
Executive Officer/Staff Officer	9
Clerical Officer	38
Total	49