HC Deb 07 July 1988 vol 136 cc720-1W
Mr. Beggs

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cars have been stolen from DOE Northern Ireland car parks in Belfast since 1 January.

Mr. Needham

Sixty-eight cars have been reported stolen from the Department's attended car parks in Belfast since 1 January 1988.

Mr. Roy Beggs

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will provide control barriers at entrances and exists to those DOE(NI) car parks to prevent unauthorised removal of cars.

Mr. Needham

Department of the Environment charged car parks in Belfast are barrier-operated. Outside Belfast most of the Department's charged car parks are operated by the pay and display system. There are no plans at present to convert these to barrier operation.

Mr. Beggs

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish the duties of attendants at DOE (NI) car parks with particular reference to monitoring care of vehicles and follow-up action by DOE (NI) in respect of a car theft from any of its car parks.

Mr. Needham

The Department of the Environment does not have responsibility for the safeguarding from theft of vehicles using its car parks. The Department nevertheless expects its attendants and those employed by its agents to notify the police in the event of a theft and to inform the Department of such incidents.

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