Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 376 and 387 together.

My Department participated in previous decentralisation programmes to Sligo in 1989 and to Letterkenny in 1990-1991. A total of 319 posts were relocated to Sligo and 176 posts to Letterkenny. There were 127 posts in Sligo filled by promotion, while 192 posts were filled by the lateral transfer of staff in their own grade. In Letterkenny, there were 51 posts filled by promotion and 125 posts filled by staff transferring laterally in their own grade. A total of 101 posts in Sligo were filled internally by staff serving in the Department while 103 posts were filled by staff from other Departments; 115 posts were filled by the open recruitment, by the Civil Service Commission, of staff specifically for Sligo; 64 posts in Letterkenny were filled internally by staff serving in the Department while 42 posts were filled by staff from other Departments; and 70 posts were filled by the recruitment of staff, by the Civil Service Commission, specifically for Letterkenny.

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 377 and 388 together.

The initial decision to relocate some 260 posts of my Department to Sligo was taken by the Government in April 1987. In November 1987, the Government decided to increase the number of posts to be decentralised to Sligo to 300. This decision also expanded the proposed programme of decentralisation to include the transfer of some 190 posts of my Department to Letterkenny. In preparation for the relocation of areas of the Department to Sligo, a canvas of the staff serving in my Department took place in January 1988 to ascertain the level of interest in relocation to Sligo. Subsequently, in May 1988, civil servants from other Government Departments were invited to apply for transfer. The relocation of staff to Sligo was achieved in three phases commencing in July 1989 and finishing in November 1989. The final number of posts transferred was 319.

With regard to the decentralisation of areas of the Department to Letterkenny, a canvas of staff serving in my Department took place in November 1989 to ascertain the level of interest in transfer. In May 1990, civil servants from other Government Departments were invited to apply for lateral transfer to Letterkenny. The relocation of staff to Letterkenny was achieved in two phases, commencing in November 1990 and finishing in March 1991, with a final total of 176 posts transferring.