Minister defends decentralisation plans

The Minister for the Environment has defended the decentralisation programme in the face of criticism from the Green Party.

Minister Martin Cullen said the Greens' condemnation of the plan is a U-turn on their position last year when they supported a Fine Gael motion calling for the decentralisation of 10,000 civil servants.

Green party leader Trevor Sargent has stated that the timetable for the programme is designed to coincide with the next general election.

Minister Cullen retorted by claiming it was vital to move as quickly as possible.

He also commented that the Government's example may be followed by the private sector. "What it demonstrates to the corporate world is if the Government and the public sector can choose less fashionable locations than Dublin, it's simply possible then for the corporate sector to do the same thing."