Parlon denies climbdown over decentralisation

The Minister responsible for the Government's decentralisation programme has denied a climbdown after plans to transfer nearly 100 probation officers from Dublin to Navan were abandoned.

Less than 20 Probation and Welfare Service administrative staff will now be based in Navan rather than in Dublin.

Minister of State at the Department of Finance Tom Parlon insisted today the decision not to move the probation officers was a "pragmatic" solution that had been reached following consultation between the Department of Justice and the Garda Commissioner.

He told RTÉ Radio this morning the relocation of the probation officers was an operational matter within the Department of Justice. Mr Parlon said the probation officers' clients were based in Dublin, "so, clearly it didn't make sense to move them to Navan," he said. "It's a practical, pragmatic solution."

The Department of Justice has decided to base the Garda Síochána's 40-strong upgraded human resources division in Navan. Two new State bodies not on the original decentralisation list - the Coroners' Agency and the auctioneers' regulatory body - will also go to Co Meath.

Impact, which represents some 1,200 specialist civil and public servants, including probation officers, welcomed the decision not to move them.

Impact National Secretary Louise O'Donnell said a similar situation to the probation officers exists in a number of State bodies, including the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Office of Public Works. "There are a whole range of organisations being transferred whose work is based in Dublin," she said.

She said Impact was not opposed to decentralisation but was concerned that there were issues that need to be addressed with regard to specialist and technical staff. Only 15 per cent of professional and technical staff have volunteered to relocate, according to Impact.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern told the Dáil yesterday that decentralisation was essential to ease population and traffic pressures in Dublin. He said there was no option but to press ahead with plans to move 10,000 civil and public servants to more than 50 locations around the State.

But Ms O'Donnell said to take professional staff out of the capital, where there work was based, would only increase their commutes.

Mr Parlon agreed to meet Impact representatives as soon as possible. He said the reason he has not become involved in ongoing talks between unions and Department of Finance officials was because he would be "castigated" for interfering.

Impact yesterday published a policy document on decentralisation in which it claimed it would cost €65 million a year to replace specialist civil servants who wanted to stay in Dublin.

But Mr Parlon said today he "took issue" with that estimate and that the Department of Finance "did not accept at all" the principles that the estimate was based on.