Decentralisation to cost €900m

Ireland’s biggest decentralisation programme will cost over €900m to relocate 10,000 civil servants around the country.

Minister of State Tom Parlon told an Oireachtas Committee said that buying suitable sites would cost 100 million euros and office accommodation would cost a further €815m.

Mr Parlon said these estimated figures did not include the cost of computers, telephones or other specialised equipment.

He explained that eight properties currently had been bought and a further 20 were at an advanced acquisition stage.

The Office of Public Works minister told today’s Joint Committee on Finance and the Public Service that the Decentralisation Implementation Committee will announce a provisional timetable for decentralisation in the coming weeks.

Announced by former finance minister Charlie McCreevy in last year’s budget, the programme plans to transfer 10,500 civil and public servants to 56 regional locations.

Mr Parlon said the cost of the programme will be offset by the proceeds from the sale of existing buildings and the surrender of leases on other rented buildings.

He said: “Decentralisation is government policy and we are committed to implementing it in full.

“There are difficulties and challenges but we are confident of finding the solutions and pressing ahead.

“There will be no ’big bang’ overnight but the government will deliver the programme 100% whether it will take one or two or more phases.”

He insisted that relocation would be voluntary and that staff who don’t want to relocate won’t lose their jobs.

Committee member, Deputy Paul McGrath said the geographical spread of towns benefiting from decentralisation “bore no relationship” to areas identified by the National Spatial Strategy (NSS) for future regional development.

But Mr Parlon said decisions on locations were based on the NSS and on the core business and geographical customer base of each department and agency.

Deputy Richard Bruton said the decentralised locations “had a whiff of political opportunism” as over half the jobs were going to constituencies with government ministers.