240 DAERA jobs to be relocated to new Ballykelly headquarters by March of this year

Sinn Féin MLA Raymond McCartney has welcomed confirmation by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) that an initial 240 civil servants will relocate to new headquarters in Ballykelly by March 2018.

The Foyle MLA said: “News that 240 staff members will move to the £20 million facility in the first phase of relocation is to be welcomed.

“The move by my party leader Michelle O'Neill as the former Agriculture Minister to decentralise the then DARD headquarters to Ballykelly was a positive step for the local area and the wider North West in bringing employment to the area.

"Sinn Féin is committed to tackling the regional imbalances in our economy created through decades of neglect and under-investment, this includes decentralisation of public sector jobs. I look forward to more staff being located to the new headquarters over the next number of years through the relocation plan."