Taxpayers face €65m bill for decentralisation

TAXPAYERS could be forced to pay out over €65 million each year as a result of the Government’s ill-conceived decentralisation programme, according to one of the country’s leading civil service unions.

IMPACT claims the refusal of a large majority of specialist staff within the civil service to move out of Dublin will cost the Government an additional €65m annually.

The union has estimated this figure could increase still further when the cost of retaining staff in State agencies who are reluctant to move out of the capital is included.