An all-Ireland agency set up to promote food safety found it had to base a quarter of its staff in Dublin, in spite of having its headquarters in Cork.
The experience of Safe Food, the food safety promotion board, highlights both the difficulties and advantages facing agencies in being decentralised by the Government.
While Safe Food has had no difficulty recruiting staff to be based in Cork, it has had to keep its media and communications section in Dublin.
Mr Martin Higgins, the agency's chief executive, said it made good business sense to base this section in Dublin, close to the major media and marketing organisations.
As a result, eight of its 30 permanent staff were Dublin-based, he said.
Safe Food was one of the cross-Border implementation bodies set up under the terms of the Belfast Agreement.
Cork was selected as its headquarters and, as a "greenfield" organisation, it did not have the task of transferring existing staff.
Mr Higgins said Cork had proved to be an attractive location, with lower house prices proving to be one advantage for staff.
The agency's two other sections, one dealing with planning and resources and the other providing its scientific and technical service, are both Cork-based.
It is also engaged in a recruitment drive, and of nine positions currently advertised on its website, www.safefoodonline.com, seven are in Cork.
As chief executive, Mr Higgins said, he spends two days a week in Cork and the rest of the time travelling between there, the Dublin sub-office and Belfast.
Some of its business meetings are held in Dublin, but it also holds board meetings in Cork on a regular basis, he said.
