The Government claimed yesterday that its decentralisation programme was "on track" despite new figures which show that less than 500 of the 7,000 Civil Service jobs earmarked for decentralisation had actually moved to date.
Yesterday, the body responsible for decentralisation, the Decentralisation Implementation Group (DIG) in its latest report said the programme was "progressing satisfactorily" and more than 2,000 Civil Service jobs would be decentralised by the end of next year.
The report also identified a series of major problems emerging with the programme, including the low level of interest among 1,000 expert staff, poor progress among semi-State agencies that are moving, and delays of up to a year in the decentralisation building programme.
According to the report, property negotiations had been completed or "significantly advanced" in 34 locations, while decentralising departments had small numbers of staff in 12 locations already.
The report, which maintains the overall cost of the programme will be in the region of €900 million, estimates that 1,000 civil servants will be in place in decentralised locations by April of next year, and that 2,100 staff had now been assigned to positions that will be decentralising.
In a statement accompanying the report, Minister for Finance Brian Cowen said the "success of the programme can be seen from the fact that decentralisation is now a reality in 12 new locations and that over 2,000 civil servants will have relocated to 29 locations by the end of 2007".
However, the report shows that less than 500 civil servants had decentralised to date out of the 6,800 posts selected for decentralisation by the end of 2009.
Although the report states that this is in line with predictions from last year. It predicts that it does not face problems in relation to upwards of 5,000 general staff who are unwilling to decentralise and want to remain in Dublin. According to the report, the levels of staff turnover at clerical and junior grades will create sufficient vacant posts to accommodate those in these grades who want to remain in the capital.
Retirements, resignations and promotional requirements at higher grades will create a sufficient number of posts to accommodate senior civil servants who want to stay in Dublin.
Significant problems have emerged relating to more than 1,000 technical and professional staff in decentralising departments, the vast majority of whom are unwilling to move with their jobs.
"The group has asked the Department of Finance to explore all appropriate avenues to overcome these difficulties," the report states.
The department is examining the option of opening up decentralisation posts to people in the wider public service, such as local authorities, in a bid to address this problem. They are also examining the possibility of allowing some staff to "tele-work" from home in a limited number of posts.
Problems have also emerged for the management of large computer equipment which holds confidential information, following previous plans to privatise the management of the decentralised centres holding the equipment.
Department of Finance experts warned that to do so would create security problems, be too costly, and that the plan may not work, and a review is now under way.
Yesterday, Mr Cowen admitted there were "remaining challenges" in relation to the decentralisation plans, but that his department and public service would "continue to work diligently" to find solutions.