Civil servants begin exodus from Dublin

The exodus of civil servants from the capital is to begin over the next few weeks, Agriculture Minister Joe Walsh announced today.

He said the first group of 50 civil servants from his Department have volunteered to move to Portlaoise under the Government’s decentralisation plan.

On the transfer, Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy said the department is “blazing a trail which I look forward to others following”.

The first group of the 10,300 civil servants, which the Government have planned to relocate outside the capital, are to be moved into temporary office accommodation in Co Laois.

Mr McCreevy said the Office of Public Works would look into acquiring temporary accommodation in the decentralised locations which would allow civil servants to make the move quickly.

Mr Walsh said 50 workers, out of his 4,000 strong department, would join the 225 staff already based in Portlaoise.

The minister has planned for a total of 425 civil servants to make the move, bringing the final staff numbers in Portlaoise to 650.

Mr Walsh said: “More than 3,000 are already in different locations throughout the country.”

The department already has staff based in Wexford, Cavan, Castlebar in Co Mayo and in Portlaoise in Co Laois.

Mr Walsh said: “I think there will be a considerable number of civil servants volunteering to go to various locations throughout the country.”

The minister said it makes sense for the department to be spread throughout the country.

He added: “We are the department of Agriculture and Food so we deal with farmers throughout the length and breadth of the country.”

But Mr Walsh said civil servants still had over a month left to report on whether they wish to make the move to the Government’s central applications facility.

The plans to move the thousands of civil servants have met with some resistance.

Fine Gael’s Billy Timmins said the announcement appeared to be an election stunt by the Government to buy farmers’ votes.

Mr Timmons said: “There is no doubt that the announcement is rushed. It does not appear to have one ounce of planning attached to it.

“Fifty civil servants will apparently move in the coming weeks, yet the department has not yet even acquired office space for these civil servants.”

Civil servants whose jobs are decentralised but who wish to remain in Dublin are to be offered alternative employment in the capital.

But new arrangements would be put in place for promotions and decentralisation would have “clear consequences” for all recruitment practices, according to the Government’s advisory Decentralisation Implementation Group.