Taoiseach defends civil service decentralisation

The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has defended the Government’s decentralisation plans and has vowed that proposals to move 10,000 civil servants out of Dublin will be implemented.

Mr Ahern said today that 36 workers in his own department had already expressed an interest in the move.

He also said he was confident that the plan would gain support in time.

Reports this morning said a survey had found widespread opposition to the decentralisation plan among workers in the Departments of Agriculture and Communications.