§ Mr. WilsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made towards provision of roll-on, roll-off facilities at Ballycastle; and if it will make it his Department's policy to introduce ferry services between Ballycastle and Scotland.
§ Mr. AtkinsBallycastle harbour is owned by Moyle district council. Subject to the availability of a Government grant the council hopes to undertake improvements at both Ballycastle and Rathlin harbours to enable the upgrading of the Rathlin island ferry service. The council's plans include the construction of a roll-on/roll-off ramp at Ballycastle. It has not been possible to allocate the necessary resources to these proposals within the current public expenditure round.
It is the Government's view that the introduction of ferry services between Ballycastle and Scotland is a matter for the commercial judgment of ferry operators.
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I regret that there are no statistics available on the number and proportion of people who were claiming Supplementary Benefit or Income Support as the data held does not distinguish new claims from repeat claims. I hope however that the following information will be helpful.