Is the Taoiseach aware the Progressive Democrats campaigned in the local elections — they were not involved in the European election — on the basis that decentralisation was "a Fianna Fáil idea"? Is he also aware of Deputy Fiona O'Malley's statement that she would bring the reaction of her constituents to the attention of the Tánaiste? Have the Taoiseach's former councillors in the Dublin area, who fell like nine pins, reported back to him on this issue? Decentralisation in the fashion announced opportunistically in the budget by the Minister for Finance is simply unworkable. Is a review contemplated?

I refer to one example, which is the Tánaiste's Department. She said of 503 staff who replied to a survey, 69 agreed to go to Carlow, of 413 Dublin-based FÁS staff, 30 were prepared to go to Birr, and of 110 staff who replied to a survey by the Health and Safety Authority, 90 said "no", 15 said "yes" and two said "maybe". That is an improvement on Mitchelstown where the promise to relocate 200 Bus Éireann staff has fallen through because the company's management discovered it only employs 80. How does the Taoiseach reconcile this with the commitment made by the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Parlon? He told us during the winter months that, as soon as there was a stretch in the evenings, civil servants would oversubscribe to move to various locations, and it would be a case of "follow me up to Carlow" and they would all follow the Minister of State. Having regard to the unfeasibility of this daft, old fashioned Fianna Fáil stroke, will a review be undertaken?

It is always interesting to hear the way issues are raised. For four or five years as the last round of decentralisation was completed, various Members representing Dublin, other urban centres and rural areas asked whether it would be undertaken again, whether it was dead and buried and whether we had the heart to reform the public service. A decade ago it was said we would never achieve the number of people we sought to decentralise. Decentralisation must work, it must be organised and difficulties will arise. The Government is committed to decentralisation and the process that has been outlined. We announced the central applications facility that is being provided by the Civil Service Commission. It will show what is feasible and how we make assessments. We will work our way through that. I do not think it is a daft idea. The reality of the city, the national spatial strategy and balanced regional development is that Dublin cannot continue indefinitely to grow at the rate of the last ten to 15 years. That is not a good thing.

At the same time the western seaboard, an enormous part of the country, has excellent potential. It has a good infrastructure which is improving under the capital programme, but it is experiencing depopulation. That is not good for the country, nor is the fact that of our 4 million people 1.8 million live in the greater Dublin area. We have to lead and the best way in which the Government can lead is by following the national spatial strategy and by putting good infrastructure in the regions, making it possible to get to peripheral locations. We need to provide good services, in electricity, telecommunications, broadband and so on, for the regions and the State itself must make an effort to move as much of central Government to the regions as it can. That is what we are engaged in.

Deputy Rabbitte was actively and constructively engaged in negotiation in a previous position. We have to negotiate on these matters and we will do so. Over a short period of time we will deal with these issues. We have set out the process and we will endeavour to do so.

I did not ask the Taoiseach whether decentralisation was a good idea or not. Balanced regional development is manifestly a good thing but I asked about the decentralisation package announced by the Minister for Finance. I asked whether the Taoiseach intends, in light of the fallout from the election, to review it and to acknowledge that it is neither feasible nor in the interests of the country.

To quote Dr. Ed Walsh, it may be good for some local towns in Ireland but bad for Ireland. Governance will not be possible. It will lead to the destruction of specialist agencies. One cannot seek to relocate professional staff in a particular niche area and replace them with generalist civil servants from another area. If Ministers are going around beating their breasts and saying they have learnt lessons, what lesson has the Taoiseach learnt in respect of decentralisation? Is there to be a review or not? Is he now saying decentralisation is voluntary? He should not tell me it was always voluntary, as it has been made quite clear to staff that they have no choice and that their promotional prospects will suffer.

The Minister for Defence is engaged in a legal process to compel somebody to transfer to premises owned by a Fianna Fáil councillor in Roscrea and there are other examples. The Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Parlon, is running around like a demented auctioneer with a gavel, willing to sell anything that will come under the hammer. The attractions in Parlon country are diminishing.

He has relocated to the back benches.

What lessons has the Taoiseach learnt in respect of decentralisation and what changes will he make? What assurances will he give to civil servants who have put down roots in this city, who have families in education and for whom compulsory relocation is simply not feasible?

The Government has already set up an independently chaired decentralisation implementation group. That body is advising the Government on the implementation of the programme and it has already submitted its first report. The Government has accepted all its recommendations and will continue to work with the Office of Public Works on the programme.

I am glad Deputy Rabbitte agrees with me on balanced regional development. I do not accept that specialist bodies cannot move; that would be the easy thing to do. We are currently constructing the Marine Institute in Galway, a €30 million state of the art building with highly sophisticated technological laboratories.

That was indigenous to Galway and the Taoiseach knows that.

The Central Fisheries Board was on the banks of the Tolka for years protecting the pinkeens. What is the sense in that? The CSO has our best statisticians. Its representatives were in my office a decade ago saying they could never leave Dublin, but they are now happy in Cork.

If we look for reform but give up as soon as someone says he or she does not like that reform, then the country would not be where it is today. We are a modern country. We are trying to make the regions modern and yes, there are difficulties. However, there will be no knee-jerk reaction that we will not do anything. If we do that we will never solve health service problems, we will never advance third level education and we will not continue to modernise the country. That is not what I want. I have worked throughout my political life to bring this country off its knees from being an underdeveloped, third rate country which nobody cared a damn about and which was riddled with violence. We are advancing.

Come off it.

The Taoiseach's time has concluded.

Deputies never like hearing the answers. I am prepared to argue.

Allow the Taoiseach to conclude.

The Deputy from Balbriggan has spoken, the one who fought for decentralisation from Dublin to Balbriggan. The Government will continue to reform and to build the economy and we will do so successfully.

The Taoiseach is confusing Deputies from Balbriggan.

He claims it.