Decentralisation plan fiasco: only 620 make move

ONLY 620 of the 10,300 civil servants due to be decentralised have been assigned to locations outside Dublin, 18 months after the scheme was announced, it emerged yesterday.

While some 9,000 civil servants have applied to be relocated, the fact that only 620, or 6%, have been assigned to their locations was pounced on by the opposition, which claimed the entire programme was heading for failure.

The disclosure was contained in figures obtained by the Oireachtas Committee on Finance & Public Services from the Decentralisation Implementation Group (DIG).

Fine Gael deputy leader Richard Bruton yesterday lambasted Finance Minister Brian Cowen for what he said was the painfully slow progress of the scheme.

He said at the halfway stage of the programme the figures presented damning evidence of how ill-thought out the pet project of former Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy had been.

Mr Bruton also pointed to findings which showed that in 21 of the 47 locations, not a single person has been assigned.

He also suggested that half of those applying for new posts were already working in decentralised locations outside the capital.

But Finance last night strongly countered, saying that the 620 figure referred only to “early mover” locations - those identified by the DIG last November as the first locations to be decentralised.

A department spokesman said the figure was not indicative of the overall applications, which stood at over 9,000 people. He said 20 locations from a total of 53 were identified last November as early movers. The 620 staff who have been assigned are already undergoing training for relocation.

“It was never going to be a big bang. It is a rolling process and is proceeding according to plan,” he said.

The latest figures came as OPW Minister Tom Parlon addressed delegates from IMPACT, Ireland’s largest public sector union, and moved to assuage their concerns, at a Kilkenny conference last night.

IMPACT is one of several unions which have threatened possible industrial action over the decentralisation programme.

Mr Parlon insisted the programme is on schedule.