The Legal Aid Board is resisting attempts by the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, to have its headquarters moved from Dublin to the Minister's home town of Cahirciveen in Co Kerry.
In a statement last night the board said that the Minister had not consulted it about the proposal. It stated: "The disruption and dislocation caused by this transfer will impede the capacity of the board to effectively manage the service."
The Minister surprised the board and its staff of almost 40 by announcing yesterday morning on Radio Kerry that he had secured Cabinet approval to move the organisation's headquarters from its current location at St Stephen's Green in Dublin to Cahirciveen, a town with a population of 1,500 on the Co Kerry coast.
The board said that it had asked its chief executive, Mr Frank Goodman, to prepare a report on the likely impact of the move on its operations. It had requested a meeting with the Minister. A spokesman for the Minister responded by saying that Mr O'Donoghue would be happy to meet members of the board and the chief executive. He maintained that it was not unusual for a decentralisation decision to be made without consultation.
The spokesman said that the planned move was part of the programme of decentralisation of government to promote the regeneration of rural Ireland. It was purely a "coincidence" that the board was to be relocated to the Minister's home town.
The announcement was greeted enthusiastically in Cahirciveen. Mrs Maureen O'Connell, of the Harp Bar and Apartments, said that it would be widely welcomed and would give a boost to the local economy.
Shocked staff in the board's office were told of the decision yesterday morning. The board was informed of the decision on Wednesday evening.
The headquarters administers the 30 legal aid centres in the State, including the new refugee legal service in Dublin.
The Department spokesman said that the move was only at an initial stage at present. "The Office of Public Works has been asked to identify a site. There will be intensive consultation with staff. Relocation will be on a voluntary basis. Previously, decentralisations have been very successful in attracting staff."
The general secretary of the Civil and Public Service Union, which represents the majority of those working for the board, said that there had been no consultation with staff or unions. Mr Blair Horan said: "There is anger at the lack of consultation. The geographical composition of Cabinet always is a factor in decentralisation, but this is particularly blatant. Mr [Dick] Spring was Minister for Foreign Affairs, but he did not move it to Tralee. We are not convinced of the wisdom of moving a small office like this."
Mr Jim Higgins, Fine Gael's justice spokesman, described the decision as "madness". He added: "I am in favour of decentralisation where possible. But the bulk of the work of this office is in Dublin, and access to head office on an ongoing basis is very important. It's administrative lunacy and naked political expediency."
The Labour Party's justice spokeswoman, Ms Jan O'Sullivan, said that the relocation would disrupt the work of the board. She deplored the fact that there had been no consultation.