Jobs Lost As DVA Moves To Wales

Hundreds of Northern Ireland-based public sector jobs are to be lost as a result of the centralisation of the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) to Wales.

Environment Minister Mark H Durkan described the move as a "devastating blow" for the local economy.

Over 300 jobs at the eight DVA offices across the region have been confirmed to go, according to UK Roads Minister Stephen Hammond.

235 of the jobs are based in Coleraine, however the service has other offices based in Armagh, Ballymena, Belfast, Downpatrick, Enniskillen, Londonderry and Omagh.

It is thought the offices will close at the end of the year.

Environment Minister Mark H Durkan said: "This is devastating news for all the hard working staff of the DVA and their families.

"Motorists in Northern Ireland are accustomed to getting a very high standard of service from the DVA and no doubt this will be significantly affected when the service is delivered remotely from Swansea. The dedicated staff in DVA will also feel completely betrayed by this decision.

"During the public consultation on these centralisation proposals, the motor trade and the motoring public demonstrated their overwhelming support for retaining local delivery of vehicle licensing and confirmed their high regard for the work of DVA. This announcement completely ignores all of these facts."

Minister Durkan's SDLP East Derry colleague John Dallat said: "This announcement was clearly planned when they knew Mark H Durkan the Minister for the Environment was on his way to America for the Saint Patrick’s Day events. They did it when they knew that just about everyone was away.

"At the minute they have a very low opinion of what passes as democracy when every elected representative opposed the loss of over 300 jobs in Coleraine."

Sinn Féin MLA Cathal Ó hOisín said: "While we have known for some time that the British Government had planned to centralise DVLA services in Swansea the news that the Coleraine office will close by Christmas is still devastating.

"The DVLA office was the biggest employer in the constituency with over 300 people employed in this office alone who will now be unemployed with little prospect of other employment.

"While the British Government talks about retraining and serving the needs of the workers the simple fact is that they have been unceremoniously dumped on the dole queue.

"It is now important that the needs of the workers are paramount in ensuring that they have their full redundancy entitlements and access to benefit advice as they face an uncertain future."

(IT)