Decentralisation ‘pause’ — who loses out most?

THE Government decision to effectively halt the decentralisation programme could put up to 19 locations across the country at risk of losing out.

They range from Mitchelstown in Cork to Gweedore in Donegal, if the Government’s most recent progress report is a reliable indication.

When the then finance minister Charlie McCreevy announced the decentralisation plan on Budget Day in December 2003, it was envisaged that 10,300 posts would be transferred from Dublin to 53 different locations nationwide.

The Government later widened the scope of the plan, increasing it to 59 locations with 10,900 moves proposed.

But on Tuesday, as part of its plan to cut back public spending by €1.5bn between now and the end of next year, the Government announced a freeze on expenditure on the acquisition of accommodation for decentralisation.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen insisted it was merely “a pause”, while his partners in Government, the Greens, called it a “halt”.

Whatever the case, it is clear there is no question of completing the decentralisation programme for many years.

So what locations are in danger of missing out? The most up-to-date information the Government was able to provide was a progress bulletin from March of this year.

In summary, the bulletin shows that the OPW has completed the acquisition of accommodation in 33 of the 59 locations.

In another seven locations, the OPW says acquisition is at an “advanced stage”, meaning contracts are being processed or terms have been agreed.

That leaves 19 locations and in some of these, decentralisation has already taken place to “advance offices” based in temporary accommodation. It is not clear if permanent accommodation will be acquired now, given the Government freeze on further expenditure.

So will these advance offices be left in limbo? Or will the Government sanction the acquisition of permanent accommodation at some future point? Will full decentralisation take place? The answers to these questions are unclear.

The OPW was yesterday working on updated figures to provide to Minister of State Martin Mansergh, who is expected to address the Dáil on the issue today.

But at time of going to press, the OPW had not been in a position to issue these updated figures to the Irish Examiner.

The Government maintains a website — http://www.decentralisation.gov.ie — to give updates on the decentralisation programme.

Posted there yesterday was a short, terse press release outlining the Government decision of Tuesday: “The Government has decided, in the light of the current exchequer position, that further expenditure for the acquisition of accommodation for decentralisation will await detailed consideration of reports from the Decentralisation Implementation Group,” it stated.

Just last month, the Government posted another press release to that site, which is still available to read.

“The Minister for Finance has restated the Government’s intention to continue to implement the decentralisation programme,” it stated.

Proof, if it were ever needed, that a month can be an awfully long time in politics.

Acquiring accommodation is not the only problem the programme faces.

Judging by the list on its own, it would appear that more than half of the decentralisation programme has now been successfully completed.

But the staff numbers tell a different story entirely. By the end of June 2007, according to the most up-to-date Decentralisation Implementation Group report available, a little more than 1,000 of the 10,900 jobs had been transferred.

By the end of last year, according to answers given to parliamentary questions, fewer than 2,000 staff had moved.

Coupled with this week’s announcement, and the delays already encountered before then, it now seems clear the decentralisation programme was far too ambitious, and arguably poorly thought-out.