The Government will enter into property swapping arrangements as part of its decentralisation plan which will move more than 10,000 public servants out of Dublin by 2006, the Minister for Finance Mr McCreevy said tonight.
Mr McCreevy unveiled the radical decentralisation plan which is certain to be the most controversial aspect of an otherwise tame budget. Eight departments and the Office of Public Works will be relocated in the regions from Clonakilty to Cavan and Kanturk to Knock. Mr McCreevy said decentralisation has been a long-held objective of the Coalition but economic and political circumstances stalled the plan until now.
The Minister said all the transfers will be voluntary and as such will not eligible for expenses or moving allowances. The swap arrangements are intended to reduce the cost of relocation and avoid delays for new building. Mr McCreevy maintained that their would be little expense in net terms from the transfer but each department had set aside a contingency in its capital budget for the move.
The Minister said the plans are based on a logical regional allocation and a consistent with the National Spatial Strategy. Mr McCreevy questioned the rationale of the Department of Agriculture being located in the centre of Dublin when it has been some time since he saw a cow in Kildare Street.
Unlike other attempts at decentralisation which have mixed results, the scale of this venture should assure its success with huge economic benefits for country towns and surrounding areas. In total 53 towns and villages have been earmarked for hosting departments.
Ireland has changed dramatically both in economic and social terms, Mr McCreevy said, and many regional terms now offered a better quality of life than what is on offer in Dublin.
Improved infrastructure would reduce travel time in a country which the golfing minister insisted could be negotiated in 67 shots. The new M1 motorway has reduced the distance from Dublin to Drogheda to a mere 9-iron, according to Mr McCreevy.