Decentralisation - A serial election gimmick

Fianna Fáil’s decentralisation plans are probably the longest-running saga in Irish politics.

The Jack Lynch Government first announced plans for decentralisation in the 1960s.

As minister for finance, Charlie McCreevy announced the current round of decentralisation in the budget of December 1999. Some 10,300 civil servants were to be transferred from Dublin, but the locations to which they would be moved were not announced initially, leading to some shameless politicking.

During the Tipperary South by-election of 2001, Fianna Fáil promised to give the constituency one of the decentralised departments, but the Fine Gael candidate won the seat. The promise was therefore forgotten in 2003 when the Government announced the sites to which departments and state agencies were to be transferred.

Decentralisation was highlighted again during the local election campaign of 2004, only to fade into the background afterwards. The Government has spent close to €100 million on buying and renting offices in 38 locations around the country.

More than €70m was spent on buying sites and buildings, €5m on leasing buildings and €17m on fitting out the buildings. A further €9m in “non-property” costs have been incurred. The Government recouped €387.5m on the sale of buildings and land in Dublin, and the Office of Public Works transferred €57m worth of land for social and affordable housing.

Most of the 38 office buildings prepared for the transfer of government departments and state bodies are empty, because only 2,000 of the planned 10,300 civil servants have been relocated. That means that less than 20% have been re-located after more than eight years. Of course, it is already more than 60 years since decentralisation was first announced.

There was a bit of a spurt in Government interest in 2003, following the announcement of the locations being utilised. That happened to be the year before the last local elections. Will there be another spurt of interest with the local elections due next year?

Finance Minister Brian Cowen insists the programme is being rolled out as planned and that more than 11,000 civil servants have expressed interest in moving. Some 4,000 of those have been assigned, even though only half have been transferred.

Mr Cowen told the Dáil last week: “The Government will continue to move ahead with decentralisation to ensure that no public servant is obliged to accept decentralisation against their wishes.” If 11,000 civil servants have volunteered to move and 38 different sites are already prepared, what is the delay?

“The Government is anxious to ensure the momentum of the programme is maintained and developed,” the minister insists. The two-speed momentum — dead slow and full stop — has been erratic, with progress confined largely to the last local elections. The whole thing seems little more than a serial election gimmick, and a very expensive one at that.