Department of Agriculture officials will be transferred to take command of the Garda Síochána's human resources division, which is to be moved to Navan, Co Meath.
The request for the staff was made in a letter recently by the secretary general of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Seán Aylward, to his opposite number in the Department of Agriculture, Tom Moran.
Former agriculture officials based in Castlebar, who were no longer needed to handle farm premium payments, were transferred last year to staff the Garda's Pulse computer system.
Mayo staff take mobile calls from gardaí on the streets and note details of incidents under investigation, which are then logged on the Pulse system and form part of crime statistics.
The 40-strong Garda HR division is to be established in Navan to fill part of the gap left by the Government's decision to back away from its original plan to transfer Dublin-based probation and welfare officers to the town.
Yesterday, the Department of Justice denied that the decision on the location of the HR division - a key reform put forward in the Garda Síochána Bill - was taken without consulting Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy.
The Government had planned to transfer to Navan the full 120 staff of the Probation and Welfare Service, based in Smithfield in Dublin city centre. Following the decision to leave probation officers where they are, 20 general and administrative staff will move to the Meath town.
Struggling to cope with the political difficulties caused by the change, the Government is determined that the 140-job target for Navan is met. Besides the Garda HR staff, the town will also get the new coroners' agency and the six officials to run the new body to regulate the State's auctioneers.
The Impact trade union welcomed the decision to abandon the transfer of probation staff yesterday. It represents many of the professional and technical grades in the civil services.
Few of these officials, who are much more difficult to replace than the general grades in the Civil Service, have expressed any interest in applying to transfer with their jobs, or move to other ones outside Dublin.
"We are hoping that this will set the trend and that every department will now look at their own areas and that a similar solution can be found for these people," said Impact official Louise O'Donnell.
Navan has proven popular for decentralisation for general and administrative Civil Service grades, many of whom endure two-hour commutes into the capital.
However, the location has not proven as popular among more senior grades represented by the Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants, and the most senior grades such as assistant secretary rank.
Meanwhile, up to three-quarters of senior officials in the Department of Agriculture and Food will have to be replaced once the body moves to Portlaoise, Co Laois. Fine Gael TD Richard Bruton criticised the Government's decision to spend €375 million on offices for the Departments of Agriculture, for Education and Science in Mullingar and Enterprise, Trade and Employment in Carlow. Pointing out that the lands had cost €75 million, Mr Bruton said: "It would be disastrous for taxpayers if Government Ministers wasted this money in a rush to turn sods before the next election. "
