TWO FIANNA Fáil deputies from Limerick have criticised comments by former minister of state Tom Kitt that it was a “major mistake” to decentralise the headquarters of Irish Aid from Dublin to Limerick.
Mr Kitt, a former minister of state for overseas development aid, told The Irish Timeslast weekend that the entire decentralisation programme had been a crude and badly thought out exercise.
He instanced the transfer of the Irish Aid offices to Limerick as an example of why it was not working.
However, yesterday Minister of State for Overseas Development Aid (ODA) Peter Power, and former minister for defence Willie O’Dea both rejected the assertions by Mr Kitt.
Mr O’Dea said Mr Kitt had never suggested at Cabinet, when he was there as Government chief whip, that moving the ODA to Limerick was an error.
“As a public representative for the city I know the move has been a success for the ODA and for the economic health of Limerick. It was anything but a ‘major mistake’,” said Mr O’Dea.
“The ODA’s work has not been compromised since moving to Limerick.” Separately, Mr Power said there were no plans to reverse the decentralisation of the headquarters of Irish Aid.
“There are no plans to reverse the decentralisation of the headquarters of Irish Aid, which is based in Limerick.
“The decentralisation is fully complete and operational, and making an important contribution to the local Limerick economy and in the region.”
Mr Power, who like Mr O’Dea is a TD for Limerick East, said he was happy to have overseen the decentralisation to Limerick