To ask the Minister of the Environment what communication he has had with other Departments to identify further work for surplus staff at the Driver and Vehicle Agency offices in Coleraine; and to detail the work which he has been able to identify.

Following the unjustified and unwarranted decision by the Department for Transport (DfT) to centralise all vehicle registration and licensing services in Swansea, I took a number of immediate steps to identify alternative employment for the staff affected.

In conjunction with the Minister for Finance and Personnel, I asked every department to introduce vacancy controls so that suitable permanent and temporary posts were offered in the first instance to surplus DVA staff.

I asked each department to identify any functions that could be relocated to Coleraine. Unfortunately, other than in my own department, no department identified any permanent work to transfer to Coleraine.

In negotiations with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in Swansea, I was able to secure a small number of posts to carry out residual vehicle licensing functions. I also asked the Secretary of State to trawl all departments in Britain for back-office work that could be carried out here, however, no such work was identified.

A number of temporary opportunities within my Department were made available to surplus staff, as an interim measure, to provide additional time to find permanent posts for the affected staff. In addition, the Minister for Social Development provided temporary work in Coleraine for the remaining surplus staff, for a time bound exercise to last until the end of this year. Subsequent correspondence with Minister Storey has confirmed there are no further opportunities to extend this work or transfer either permanent or temporary jobs to Coleraine.

You will be aware that in June 2014, in conjunction with the DFP Minister, I sought approval to run a ‘restricted’ NICS Voluntary Exit Scheme. The purpose of the scheme, which has been restricted to a defined geographical area, is to generate suitable additional vacancies into which the surplus staff in Coleraine can be redeployed. The Scheme was launched on 19 November and is open to some 1,700 eligible staff. Staff have until 3 December to express an interest.