The Government was urged yesterday by the union representing senior civil servants to "fundamentally review" the scope and timescale of its decentralisation programme. Chris Dooley reports.
The call was immediately rejected, however, by the Department of Finance, which said the Government remained "absolutely committed" to the programme as planned.
The Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants (AHCPS) said a review would allow scope for the "legitimate concerns" of unions and others to be taken on board.
The union's experience, it said, was that no one in the Government wished to hear any criticisms of decentralisation "or any suggestions that the scope or timescale proposed just do not make sense".
More than 10,000 public sector posts are to be moved from Dublin under the programme. The initial timescale of three years has since been revised, with the aim of completing the programme by the end of 2007.
The priority deadline for civil and public servants to apply for posts in the new locations, through the web-based Central Applications Facility, has been extended until September 7th, unions were told yesterday.
Staff can continue to apply after that date, but applications received before the deadline will have priority.
In a statement, the AHCPS said a "rational and agreed voluntary decentralisation programme" would have undoubted benefits for the public.