£1m car parking bill 'must end'

Mr McKay called the figures "shocking"

Government departments in Northern Ireland have spent almost £1m on parking spaces for public sector workers in the last year.

The figures were revealed in an answer to an Assembly question from Sinn Fein assembly member Daithi McKay.

He said the amounts being paid out were "shocking", particularly in light of the government's carbon reduction commitment.

"We are talking about £4m over two years," he said.

"It is important that government takes steps to reduce that figure over the coming year.

"The executive has signed up to a carbon reduction commitment... It seems at odds with the amount spent on car sparking spaces for public sector workers."

Mr McKay said that the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment and the Department of Environment spent a lot more than others on car parking places.

He said that might be because of their city centre locations which meant high charges.

But Mr McKay said there was a wider environmental issue and civil servants should be given more incentives to use public transport or car share.

"Deti is spending nearly half a million pounds at its current rate for car parking in the city centre and we need to look at ways of reducing that colossal figure," he said.

"This ties into the Bain report .... Costs could be reduced by relocating public sector jobs across the north."

In 2008, Sir George Bain concluded that 5,000 civil service jobs should be relocated to places like Londonderry and Newry.

But in October, Finance Minister Sammy Wilson said the £40m cost of doing so could not be justified.

CAR PARKING BILLS
	2007/08	2008/09	Apr-Sep 09
DEL	11,280	11,459	4,855
DoE	238,391	276,366	165,697
DSD	203,563	204,902	73,147
DRD	2,971	1,920	1,440
DCAL	15,000	15,000	3,750
DETI	416,000	405,000	186,000
DE	0	0	0
DFP (includes spaces leased for other depts)	1,246,108	976,775	499,127
DARD	0	0	0
DHSSPS	0	0	0
OFMDFM	30,684	27,380	1,889
Source: NI Assembly