The mechanisms currently available to staff in my Department seeking a voluntary transfer to another location is directly through the Central Applications facility run by Public Applications Services (for remaining decentralisation locations) or to source a "Head to Head" transfer by directly contacting a person willing to transfer with them. My Department only becomes aware of such transfer requests when staff have identified a suitable opportunity. At such time it is at the discretion of the Departments concerned to agree to the transfer arrangements having regard to sick leave and performance assessments. The only exception to this arrangement is for staff seeking a transfer to the newly established Human Resource Shared Services Centre (HRSSC). Accordingly, this Department has no information on the number of persons seeking transfers to other locations.
In 2012, two members of staff sought the agreement of my Department to facilitate transfer arrangements, one to an office in Cork and the other to Dublin City Centre location. Both these transfers were facilitated.
As my Department does not gather information from Agencies in respect of their staff seeking transfers, I will arrange for this information to be collated and provided directly to the Deputy.