The Minister of State at the Office of Public Works, Tom Parlon, has rejected suggestions that decentralisation could increase the cost of public administration by up to 10%.
Professor John Fitzgerald of the Economic and Social Research Institute said he believed decentralisation would be disruptive and involve substantial additional expenditure in terms of travel and executive time costs.
However, Mr Parlon said decentralisation would bring major efficiencies in the future, and said he believed three years was a realistic target.
The deadline for priority applications is midnight tonight, giving those applicants first call on popular vacancies around the country.
It will be next week before the Department of Finance reveals whether there has been any significant increase in support among civil servants for relocation outside Dublin.
