Dáil Éireann - Volume 603 - 31 May, 2005 - Written Answers.


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Dáil Éireann - Volume 603 - 31 May, 2005

Written Answers. - Decentralisation Programme.

Mr. Bruton Mr. Bruton

251. Mr. Bruton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the assessment carried out to date of the proposed decentralisation of the section dealing with development co-operation; the cost savings that are projected to be made; the percentage of existing staff in specialist and in non-specialist grades who have indicated a desire to move; and the risk factors identified in the assessment. [17838/05]

Mr. D. Ahern Mr. D. Ahern

Mr. D. Ahern: Under the Government’s decentralisation programme, announced in December 2003, the development co-operation directorate of the Department of Foreign Affairs, currently based in Dublin, is scheduled to decentralise to Limerick. This will involve the relocation of 123 posts and is scheduled to take place during the first quarter of 2007. Details of applications received for the posts in question, excluding applications from civil servants already serving in Limerick, are set out in the table which follows.

701

The Department is working closely with the Office of Public Works to identify suitable accommodation for the directorate in Limerick and it is hoped to select a premises in the near [701] future. Pending that, it is not possible to estimate savings or additional costs.

702

The various issues arising from the Government decision, both for the Department in general and for the development co-operation directorate in particular, are considered in the Department’s decentralisation implementation plan. Risk analysis carried out by the directorate in this context has identified several risk factors, for which appropriate risk mitigation strategies are being [702] implemented: These are: financial, including accountability and control; human resources, including loss of expertise and institutional memory communications between the directorate and internal and external stakeholders; and associated operational and reputational risks The implementation plan, which has been published on the Department’s website, www.dfa.ie, was recently revised to take account of the decision to include the directorate among the early movers.

Applications via the Central Applications Facility (CAF) for development co-operation directorate posts in Limerick.
Specialist Grades	No. of posts advertised on the CAF	Number of applications from within the Directorate	DCD applications as a percentage of total posts	Applications from elsewhere in the Department	Applications received via the CAF by 7 Sept. 2004	Applications received via the CAF since 7 Sept. 2004	Total received to date
			%
Principal Development Specialist	3	0	0	0	0	0	0
Senior Development Specialist	12	2	17	0	0	0	2
Development Specialist	9	9 (Note 1)	100	0	0	0	9
Financial Controller	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Non Specialist Grades
Counsellor/Principal Officer	7	0	0	0	4	2	6
First Secretary/Assistant Principal Officer	19	3	16	0	12	6	21
Higher Executive Officer/ Administrative Officer	14	1	7	1	25	1	28
Third Secretary	4	2	50	2	0	0	4
Executive Officer	16	3	19	3	23	8	37
Staff Officer	2	0	0	1	3	0	4
Clerical Officer	33	1	3	4	19	3	27
Services Officer	3	0	0	1	0	0	1
Totals	123	21	17	12	86	20	139
Note 1: Figure for applications from within development co-operation directorate includes development specialists employed since the announcement of decentralisation and whose contracts specify that the posts are being relocated to Limerick.
Note 2: It should be noted that the table only includes details of first preference applications. Now that details of the early movers are available, all applicants will be given an opportunity to amend their first preferences.
Note 3: The table excludes, inter alia, applications from public service employees whose grade equivalency remains to be clarified.

Dáil Éireann 603 Written Answers. Decentralisation Programme.

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