THE GOVERNMENTS decentralisation programme has resulted in inefficiencies and has complicated internal communications, according at the Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants (AHCPS) union.
Dave Thomas, general secretary of the union, has called for a review of the initiative. He said three members of the Information Technology unit in Fás are in Birr, Co Offaly, and six are in Dublin, but they have to meet up centrally “to do their business” because there is no broadband available.
Personnel in the areas of arts, sports and tourism will have to travel to Dublin from Killarney for meetings because many of the main bodies they deal with are based in the capital, he said.
Mr Thomas commented that there was still a reluctance on the part of civil servants to move to other locations.
Because of the scatterings of departments people have to travel extensively to meet other colleagues. He said this has put a drain on time and money.
He added that “broadband is not available throughout the country” and in some cases staff are required to meet face-to-face as “not every meeting can be held by video conferencing”, he said.
At senior management levels, decentralisation has been difficult and this has been “an especially acute problem”, he said.
This was because employees’ families were attending college or secondary school and there are also issues involving spouses.
However, Mr Thomas said civil servants were being flexible and this has been acknowledged.
He was speaking on RTE’s News at One as the AHCPS annual conference took place in Croke Park, Dublin, yesterday.