Written answers
Wednesday, 1 July 2009
Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform
Decentralisation Programme
11:00 pm
Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 209: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will provide, in tabular form, the number of civil servants awaiting transfer to locations within the Laois/Offaly area, including Roscrea; if these transfers are affected by the moratorium on recruitment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27080/09]
Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I am assuming that the Deputy's Question relates to transfers under my Department's decentralisation programme, in which County Laois features prominently.
The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner has moved to Portarlington, involving the transfer of 23 civil servants. Equality Tribunal posts are also due to relocate to Portarlington and an advance move of 8 Tribunal staff to Portlaoise has taken place. The Equality Authority has a decentralised office in Roscrea with 16 administrative staff, including one officer who has been offered a position and is awaiting transfer on return from term time. As with decentralisation plans for other Government bodies, the question of the decentralisation of further staff of the Equality Tribunal and Equality Authority will be reviewed in 2011.
I should mention that my Department maintains separate transfer lists in respect of civil servants who have expressed an interest in transferring to regional offices of the Department's Probation Service, which are not covered by the decentralisation programme. Further information in relation to these transfer lists, which are due to be updated, can be provided to the Deputy on request.
As transfers involve redeployment of existing staff, they are not directly affected by the moratorium on recruitment. The moratorium does, however, affect the filling of vacancies created by transfers in cases where no replacement is readily available.
Tom Kitt (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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Question 210: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the cost of moving the Irish Aid department to Limerick (details supplied). [26556/09]
Peter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Government's decentralisation programme announced in 2003, 125 posts attached to the Development Cooperation Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs were to decentralise to Limerick. The Division is the Headquarters of Irish Aid. Following sanction of an additional 20 posts by the Department of Finance in 2005, the total number of posts attached to Irish Aid Headquarters increased to 145. Of these, 138 have now decentralised, based in the new Irish Aid Headquarters building in Limerick, which opened in November 2008.
The principal costs associated with the decentralisation relate to accommodation. This is a matter for the Office of Public Works. In relation to expert staff in the Development Specialist and Accountant grades, none has left the Department to date as a direct result of the decentralisation of the Development Cooperation Division to Limerick.
Staff of the Department based in Limerick who have to travel abroad on official business, use Shannon, Cork or Dublin Airports, as appropriate. An estimate is not available of the costs which would have been incurred on such travel had Irish Aid Headquarters not been decentralised from Dublin. In relation to travel within the State, there are ongoing travel and subsistence costs associated with travel on business by officials between Limerick and Dublin. Since the beginning of the decentralisation programme, these have amounted to a total of â¬385,418.
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