Large numbers of staff in the Departments of Agriculture and Communications have said they are not interested in taking part in the Government's decentralisation programme, it has emerged.
A survey of the 450 staff at the Department of Communications showed that only 29 of 424 respondents were interested in transferring to its new location in Cavan.
Some 356 of the civil servants said they were not intested in moving to Cavan and 39 did not know whether they were interested, or did not complete this part of the survey.
While 121 respondents said they would move under the programme to other locations outside, 220 were not interested in moving to to any of the other locations. 83 did not know whether they were interested or did not complete this part of the survey.
The Department described the study as "very much an information-gathering exercise" and said the work was preliminary.
A similar survey at the Department of Agriculture found that only 99 of its staff were interested in moving to Portlaoise. Some 400 additional staff are required in Portlaoise in addition to the 246 who already work there for the Department.
The Department of Agriculture has 4,800 staff, of whom 1,100 work in Dublin. It said that 42 of its staff in Dublin would move to Portloaise while another 57 located outside Dublin were interested in moving to Portlaoise.
The Department said a further 64 staff in Cork city and elsewhere were interested in moving under the programme to Macroom, Co Cork. The results of the surveys were outlined in responses a series of parliamentary questions tabled by the Fine Gael leader, Mr Enda Kenny.
The Department of Agriculture did not indicate whether any of its respondents were interested in moving to other locations outlined in the decentralisation plan.
But the results in the Department of Communications follow a trend seen in a recent survey at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
That survey showed an overwhelming majority against moving to its new location in Carlow while a greater number were interested in other locations in the programme.
Mr Kenny tabled questions of every Government Department but the responses show that most have not yet surveyed their staff.
