Overseas aid staff warned over decentralisation
Overseas aid staff who are refusing to decentralise from Dublin to Limerick are not irreplaceable, the Government warned tonight.
Officials in the Development Co-operation Directorate believe that the planned relocation to the Mid West in early 2007 will threaten Ireland’s Third World aid programme.
Fine Gael claims that only 13 of the 123 Foreign Affairs Department staff, currently based in Kevin Street, want to decentralise to Limerick.
But Minister Dermot Ahern tonight warned: “These development experts play a very important role but they work for the Government and are not irreplaceable no more than I am not irreplaceable.
“It seems to be quite illogical that aid agencies can work in Liberia or Lesotho but not Limerick.”
The minister said the staff should be able to operate just as effectively from Limerick as from Dublin in a shrinking global world with modern communications and transport links.
A total of 35 Irish aid agencies earlier urged Mr Ahern to overturn the decision to move the Government’s aid programme to Limerick.
In a letter sent to the minister today, the member organisations of Dochas listed problems created by the relocation.
“We feel strongly that this proposal poses a significant threat to the hitherto high quality of the Irish aid programme,” said Hans Zomer, Dochas director.
“The relocation of Development Co-operation Ireland to Limerick is not compatible with the Government’s commitment to improve Irish aid to the poorest of the poor.”
“The relocation of the Government’s aid programme will damage the quality of the aid programme.
“Rather than improving the programme, this proposal will lead to a loss of expertise and will slow down much needed aid to the world’s poorest people.”
Fine Gael TD Bernard Allen said he was seriously concerned that forcing the staff to decentralise would result in the loss of expertise to the country in this area, thus negatively impacting on how Ireland’s increased aid budget may be spent.
Mr Ahern reminded Dochas that the development committee of the OECD was decentralised from London to Dhaka in Bangladesh in 1991.
“There was uproar at moving people half way across the world but that move has worked in an era which had none of the air transport or communications links we currently enjoy.
“However, apparently it is not possible for a development agency to function in the computer age of 2007 by moving 100 miles down the road to Limerick.”
