REVENUE AND CUSTOMS OFFICES IN NORTHERN IRELAND

Early day motion 322, tabled 28 November 2006 by Mark Durkan (Social Democratic and Labour Party). Signed by 22 members.

That this House is deeply concerned at current plans to restructure Revenue and Customs offices in Northern Ireland; believes that these plans will have negative consequences for civil servants and for the public across Northern Ireland; deplores the further centralisation of Civil Service jobs moving them out of areas already denied their fair share of such employment opportunities; is concerned by the loss of accessibility for service and contact which the closure of local offices will entail; supports the Public and Commercial Services Union in its efforts to safeguard Revenue and Customs offices at existing locations; recognises that all parties in the Northern Ireland Assembly have stated their support for decentralisation of Civil Service jobs; and calls on the Government to take a pro-active approach to Civil Service decentralisation in Northern Ireland, including in the context of the Review of Public Administration and Workplace 2010.

Signatures by party: Labour 8, DUP 7, Conservative 2, Social Democratic and Labour Party 2, Plaid Cymru 1, Scottish National Party 1, UUP 1.