Mr. John D. TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many motor cars have been stolen from the grounds of the Royal Victoria hospital, Belfast, in the past 12 months; how many of those cars were recovered intact; how many were recovered damaged; how many were not recovered; and what measures he will take to improve security for staff and visitors' vehicles within the grounds of this hospital.
§ Mr. NeedhamA total of 238 cars were stolen from the grounds of the Royal Victoria hospital between 15 January 1988 and 7 December 1988; 23 were recovered intact, 195 were recovered damaged and 20 have not been recovered.
Security at the Royal Victoria hospital site is primarily the responsibility of the eastern health and social services board which, I understand, recently spent £400,000 on security measures recommended by the Royal Ulster Constabulary. The board is seeking at present to identify what additional steps can reasonably be taken to improve security.