Minister defends progress of decentralisation

The Junior Minister overseeing decentralisation has defended the progress made in implementing the programme to date.

The Government has achieved only 6% of its target of transferring over 10,000 public servants out of Dublin by the end of this year.

The trade union IMPACT, which is planning industrial action on the issue in the New Year, has stated that not a single member has voluntarily left the capital under decentralisation.

The Minister of State at the Office of Public Works Tom Parlon, however, has rubbished those claims, using his own department as an example of one that is moving out of the capital.