Last July 22nd the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, told Radio Kerry listeners that the head office of the Civil Legal Aid Board would be transferred to Cahirciveen under the Government's decentralisation programme.
A stunned Legal Aid Board had been informed the night before. The decision also came as a surprise to most senior civil servants in the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
While civil servants and their unions are generally supportive of decentralisation, the Legal Aid Board would not be the first contender to spring to most people's minds.
Its head office administers the State's 30 legal aid centres, including the newly-opened Refugee Legal Aid service, and this involves a high level of liaison with their staff, the majority of whom are in the greater Dublin area. Its work also entails meetings with five Civil Service unions, the Bar Council, the Law Society, the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the Department of Finance, and, due to the frequent turnover of staff, a lot of recruitment interviews.
Following the Minister's announcement the board asked its management to prepare an impact assessment report. This found that the transfer of all the head office functions would be impossible without major disruption.
According to the report, if the decentralisation is to go ahead it can only be through the maintenance of an office and nine staff in Dublin, with three members of staff moving between the two locations. This will involve an increase in head office staff from 44 to 55.
However, it appears that most of those 55 will have to be recruited and trained. "The early indications are that only a small number of staff will consider transferring to Cahirciveen," the report says, adding it is unlikely that any of the present staff in the key Legal Services section will move.
This is the section which deals directly with legal aid centres, and the report states that the director of legal aid and one of the assistant directors would require an office, with secretarial support, in Dublin.
"Continuity of service could be affected by the lack of experience of new staff," it says, urging the maximum overlap of outgoing and incoming staff.
The other area where difficulties are anticipated is in information technology. While part of this section can move, according to the report, "it is essential that three posts remain in Dublin".
It also warns that the move could cause disruption of the computer system. This was developed using Lotus Notes, for which timely support services are essential. "These services are available in Dublin on the same day, but only on a next-day basis in Cahirciveen. Failure of the head office system would affect all offices," it says.
The transfer would also cause difficulties for the personnel section, especially as the unions had indicated they would not travel to Cahirciveen for meetings. These, and recruitment interviews, would have to continue to take place in Dublin.
"A small Dublin base will be needed for elements of the personnel and information technology functions and for some senior management," it says.
"While the chief executive and director of legal aid will work regularly in Cahirciveen, they will need to maintain a Dublin base to meet the demands of a substantial number of meetings which can only be held in the Dublin area."
The report was presented to the Minister on August 30th, and he met representatives of the board on September 1st. According to its chief executive, Mr Frank Goodman, Mr O'Donoghue accepted the report in principle and discussions are now taking place between the board and officials of the Department.
Asked about the additional costs involved, Mr Goodman pointed out there would be substantial savings in Dublin rent, though he acknowledged that premises may have to be built in Cahirciveen. In 1997, the last year for which figures are available, the Legal Aid Board received £8.4 million from the Exchequer.
Mr Goodman said the staff moving to Cahirciveen would generally not be expected to travel either to law centres or to Dublin, and it was envisaged that the transfer would take place on a phased basis.