We are dealing with an unprecedented situation. The Ceann Comhairle should take note of the frustration felt by Deputies who are not receiving answers in the House. This must be remedied. The Ceann Comhairle has a role, through the Committee on Procedure and Privileges, in requiring that questions are directly answered. I hope my question will be directly answered.

The relocation of 10,000 civil servants to 51 different locations around the country has been mis-termed decentralisation. Whatever one calls it, will the promises made in this regard be complied with? I ask this question of the Minister for Agriculture and Food because I have before me the report of the decentralisation implementation group, which contains recommended deadlines for decisions and notification of civil servants about their future.

The report states, for example, that information provided by Departments on business units, grades and staff numbers for transfer should be collated by the Department of Finance and signed off by each Secretary General for inclusion in the central applications facility, with a proposed deadline of mid-April 2004, and that fact sheets should be finalised for each of the 53 destination towns and placed on the website of the decentralising organisation, again by mid-April 2004. It refers also to the indicative time scales for the availability of accommodation. The deadline for responsibility of the OPW is the end of April 2004. It refers to the launch of the central applications facility being early May 2004 and the development and overall training plan, for which many civil servants have been waiting, as being the end of May. The end of May deadline, and the other deadlines, have all passed.

Apart from the political opportunism of dropping this bombshell in the budget speech, will the Minister for Agriculture and Food now say to more than 10,000 civil servants throughout the country who are wondering will they have to get a bedsit in Birr and travel back to Bray for the weekend to see their families, or go to Cavan to work for the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, that they will have the information before the local and European elections, or is it more cynicism politically to wait until the elections are over?

Hear, hear.

The question of where the Taoiseach and Tánaiste are was raised earlier and I would like to clarify the matter. The Taoiseach as President of the Council of Ministers is representing Ireland throughout Europe today. He will be in Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Denmark and France.

I did not raise that matter. I would like an answer to my question.

The Deputy had a preamble to his question. He took five minutes to come to his question.

Deputy Sargent must allow the Minister without interruption.

The Tánaiste is in Paris today and the Minister for Defence took ill.

The Minister is mocking you, a Cheann Comhairle, and mocking the House.

The Chair has no control over answers given in this House and the Deputy is aware of this.

The Minister is mocking the House.

The Minister without interruption.

I can understand that Deputy Sargent might be upset because the opinion polls are not going terribly well for the Green Party.

What is the Minister trying to do?

Obviously the Deputy is making no impact.

As it is Leaders' Questions, the Deputy was entitled to two minutes to submit his question and the Minister is now entitled to three minutes to reply.

The Minister does not know the answer.

The Deputy must allow the Minister without interruption.

Decentralisation is not a new project. It has been going on successfully for some years. I speak as a Minister of a Department where it is extremely successful. Some 75% of the staff of the Department have decentralised to different parts of the country, and decentralisation is continuing. The current programme is a coherent one and an implementation group has been set up. The Deputy referred to the first report of the implementation group. There will be a second report in July.

The central applications facility is already on the website. People are encouraged to give the destination of their choice. The whole programme is voluntary and we expect it to be successful. I do not accept what I hear from spokesmen for different parties in Dublin who are opposing decentralisation while at local level in local towns they are demanding that the programme be expedited and accelerated. This is the height of hypocrisy.

I have not been told why the deadlines have not been complied with.

Deputy Sargent has one minute.

I asked why the deadlines of end of May for locations for child care facilities support services for those moving and individual implementation plans were announced. Civil servants are asking why the deadlines they were promised will not be complied with and the Minister has not answered the question. He referred to his Department's plans which are a total shambles. He is talking about moving the Department of Agriculture and Food laboratories from Model Farm Road to Macroom. People living within six kilometres of the laboratories will have to drive to Macroom in the morning and drive back in the evening. This is not decentralisation, it is increasing the burden and stress on families. Is he expecting people to move to Macroom from Model Farm Road?

A Cheann Comhairle, I expect you to insist on an answer from the Minister. While deadlines were given and people are expecting to have to make plans for their families and themselves, are these deadlines now broken? Is it the case that this will not be announced until after the local and European elections and does it not indicate what a shambles and cynical exercise it is?

The programme is proceeding smoothly.

Have you complied with the deadlines?

On the one hand, the cant on the doorsteps in Dublin is that the Government is bulldozing civil servants out of Dublin and, on the other, we are now being told we are not doing it quickly enough. If the Deputy took the time to access the websites of any of the Departments or State bodies he would get an update on exactly what is happening. The overall implementation group published its first report and it will publish its second report. Each Department and State agency has an implementation committee.

You have withdrawn the questionnaires from Departments.

The programme is working smoothly. I would say to Deputy Ring that decentralisation——

Deputy Ring should leave it to the leader of the Green Party who is competent to look after their questions.

The Deputy was looking for another party not so long ago, so he might join them.

The Minister, Deputy Ahern, should allow the Minister for Agriculture and Food to conclude.

Please allow the Minister to conclude.

The Deputy should update himself on the issue as more than 70 people have already volunteered for Macroom. These people will be extremely welcome in Macroom.

Not from Model Farm Road.

I would say to Deputy Ring that the Castlebar decentralisation has worked extremely well and is providing a good service.

The last question has not been answered. A Cheann Comhairle, you should note that the Minister has mocked you and mocked the House.