Decentralisation makes sense and is definitely going to happen, writes Charlie McCreevy
Much recent criticism has been directed at the Government's decentralisation programme and suggestions have been made that the programme ought to be rethought or, to quote this newspaper, last week "scrapped" (Chris Dooley, June 29th).
I, and my colleagues, have heard the concerns expressed by public servants, particularly those who do not want to relocate from Dublin. The Taoiseach recently re-emphasised the voluntary nature of the programme and, contrary to some comment, our assurances on this issue are not "bland".
I fully accept that decisions to relocate will not be taken lightly, particularly where that decision involves partners and families. I am acutely aware that in very many households, both partners may be working or children may be well established in schools or college. I see this initiative as a family-friendly one.
There is no question of the public servant in a family being required to move to the country with his/her family staying behind.
Any decision to participate in the decentralisation programme will, therefore, have to reflect personal circumstances. The voluntary nature of the programme must, in this context, be emphasised. Notwithstanding our continuous assurances, there appears to be some doubt about our undertaking to adhere strictly to the voluntary nature of the programme. Let me say it again - public servants will only be decentralised where they choose to do so.
Much has been made of the loss of corporate knowledge which may arise and the implications of that for good governance. The level of staff turnover will, of course, have implications for the loss/retention of corporate knowledge. This is an obvious side effect and something which is unavoidable.
The challenge, therefore, is to manage the staffing issues in such a way as to minimise the effects associated with significant staff turnover. It should also be pointed out that posts throughout the public service are routinely filled by open competition and by people who may well come from without the organisation.
Every organisation included in the decentralisation programme has prepared its own decentralisation plan. These plans will have to take account of the staffing issues and I have absolute confidence that the necessary arrangements will be put in place to minimise the problems associated with high levels of staff turnover.
It ought to be remembered also that several thousand civil servants have already been decentralised, many in sensitive areas such as the Collector General's Office in Limerick. In that case the level of staff turnover was very high but, nonetheless, at no stage was the efficient collection of taxes compromised.
Decentralisation is not a new concept. It is an extension and expansion of a concept which is well established and which has served the public service and the Irish people well over the years.
This programme is on a scale not previously undertaken but the principles of training new staff, which worked so successfully in the past, will ensure the seamless delivery of public services in the periods immediately before and after decentralisation.
It should be recalled that there is hardly a farmer, pensioner or taxpayer in the country who hasn't, for some years now, been dealing with a decentralised office.
I appreciate that there is a particular concern among those public servants who wish to remain in Dublin, though their jobs are being decentralised. It is an inevitable outcome of the decentralisation programme that many thousands of public servants, particularly those who choose to stay in Dublin, will find themselves working in new organisations.
I want to reassure those who are staying in Dublin that, notwithstanding their concerns, we will seek to maximise their level of choice as to their ultimate working organisation.
For those public servants who do not want to decentralise, a Dublin-based Central Applications Facility (CAF) is being developed and will, in the autumn, be available. Contrary to some suggestions, this was always intended, as evidenced by the following extract from the Decentralisation Implementation Group's report - "a system similar to the CAF should be developed at a later stage for people being reassigned to other organisations within Dublin because their jobs are being decentralised and they wish to stay in Dublin".
I note, but cannot accept, the points made by your correspondent about the locations chosen as Departmental headquarters. They are, frankly, excuses to do nothing and doing nothing was not an option. The argument seems to be that the headquarters ought to stay in Dublin.
What kind of message would this send out to those who wish to decentralise? Should those who do not wish to work in Dublin be advised that decentralisation will significantly curtail promotion prospects and dramatically reduce the variety and quality of work available? I think not.
I must also take issue with the assertion that decentralisation will "also place unprecedented pressure on civil servants to favour their Department's region in implementing policy .". This is patent nonsense. It suggests that Government policy since the foundation of the State has favoured Dublin to the exclusion of the regions. Government policy is set by the Government and individual ministers and is implemented by public servants on a professional and impartial basis.
I have absolute confidence in the integrity of our public servants to implement Government policy without consideration of their location. The Government's commitment to the decentralisation programme is as robust today as it was six months ago and our determination to proceed, as evidenced by the progress made to date, is undimmed.
• Charlie McCreevy TD is Minister for Finance.