Parlon reports flurry of interest in decentralisation jobs

Junior Minister Tom Parlon has claimed that a raft of civil servants applied for new jobs under the decentralisation programme ahead of the latest deadline imposed by the Government.

The deadline for “priority transfers” expired at midnight on Tuesday and Mr Parlon claimed today that a large number of applications were received in the preceding days.

“We hope to have an announcement very soon as to the extent,” he said. “I understand there was a flurry of activity, with people logging on in the last 48 hours. I am hopeful that we’ll see a much stronger response than had appeared at the earlier time.”

Trade unions have claimed that the vast majority of civil servants are opposed to the Government’s plans to relocate 10,000 public jobs from Dublin to more than 50 locations throughout the country.