The Government's decentralisation plans will lead to a loss of expertise within the public and civil service, it was claimed today.
The Labour Party and the public service trade union, Impact, said the decentralisation programme should be put into review until proper consultation with the relevant parties had taken place.
They both said that because specialist staff at a number of departments and agencies down for decentralisation do not want to move, their skills and knowledge will be lost.
The Government today said it would follow the recommendations of two reports carried out by the Decentralisation Implementation Group (DIG) which outline the first phase of the programme.
One of the reports outlines the financial cost of the programme and indicates that savings in cheaper rents and buildings costs by locating outside Dublin will not be realised until 2026.
The other report recommends that 15 Government departments and agencies should be moved in the first phase of the plan. Nearly 3,500 positions would be affected involving 20 locations, the group, chaired by former ICTU president Mr Phil Flynn recommends.
Labour's finance spokesperson, Ms Joan Burton, said the plans for State agencies in particular - such as Bord Iascaigh Mhara and the National Safety Council - were seriously flawed because so few workers had expressed an interest in moving.
"It is evident that if the Government persists with the transfer of these agencies there will be a major loss of management expertise and corporate memory," she said.
Impact also expressed concern about the DIG's recommendation considering the plan is voluntary and most staff do not want to move.
General secretary, Mr Peter Nolan said: "If implemented, its recommendations would create skills shortages across the civil service while skilled professionals sit idle in Dublin."
He said the quality of service would be affected and the taxpayer would be forced to foot the bill for an "ill-thought-out plan".
Fine Gael's Mr Richard Bruton said the original plan to decentralise over 10,000 positions was a "shambles". "Nothing even close to this will happen," the party finance spokesman said.
He also noted that over 60 per cent of positions earmarked to move soonest are headed for Dublin's commuter belt and that of the 14 towns covered only three are fully subscribed with civil servants based in Dublin with the remainder already outside Dublin.
"Decentralisation could and should have been a real force for change. But in the hands of Fianna Fáil and the PDs, a small number of staff in Dublin will move to a small number of towns just outside Dublin at a large cost to the efficiency with which we administer Government in this country," Mr Bruton said.
The Civil and Public Service Union which represents 13,000 workers acknowledged the recommendations presented difficulties for State agencies but welcomed the decision to begin the programme.