Enterprise Ireland has taken out a 25-year lease on two office blocks in Dublin to accommodate 600 staff, though the State agency is supposed to move to Shannon under the Government's decentralisation programme.
A spokeswoman for Enterprise Ireland confirmed yesterday that the lease had been taken out on office accommodation at East Point in Dublin's docklands in a move designed to bring together all the agency's staff, from four locations in the city.
The spokeswoman said Enterprise Ireland was committed to implementing the direction from the Government, and that the headquarters of the agency should be moved to Shannon but it was not possible to say when the move would take place.
So far just 19 of the 600 members of the agency staff based in Dublin have indicated a willingness to move to Shannon. Under the terms of the Government plan the move can only be made on a voluntary basis.
The disclosure that the agency had taken out a lease on two office blocks in Dublin was made by the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Micheál Martin, in response to a Dáil question from Labour's finance spokeswoman, Joan Burton.
Ms Burton said last night this was yet another example of how the Government's decentralisation programme was now in a complete shambles.
"A 25-year lease for two office buildings would seem to indicate that the programme of decentralisation is not going to take place any time soon, unless the Government plans to duplicate staff at Shannon," she said.
Ms Burton said it was amazing that Mr Martin had sanctioned such a significant lease in the context of the Government's stated decentralisation programme.
"A close reading of the Minister's reply would suggest that facilities will be located at Shannon but they will be to service staff and activities which are already located outside the Dublin area.
"This follows the pattern of what we know to date of the decentralisation of public services outside the Dublin area. People working in agencies like Enterprise Ireland are for family and career reasons reluctant to leave Dublin," said Ms Burton.
In his Dáil response, Mr Martin reiterated that the headquarters of Enterprise Ireland, including 300 posts, would be relocated. He said, however, that the board had decided to bring all Dublin-based staff, currently in four separate locations, together into one Dublin location. The lease had a break clause to allow Enterprise Ireland to manage changes in accommodation levels. Mr Martin said a preferred site for a new headquarters at Shannon had been identified but not yet acquired.
Mr Martin said it was impossible to say when the full move of Enterprise Ireland's headquarters would take place and the timing would be influenced by the level of interest in the Shannon location expressed by applicants seeking a transfer.
