BY TOMMY NETHERY

THE DEPARTMENT of Agriculture and Rural Development has denied that its Rural Development division based on the Hospital Road is about to close despite the fact that a number of employees have received notification that they are to be relocated.

Speculation has been growing within the rural community for some time that the Omagh office was about to pull down its shutters putting at risk the jobs of the 19 employees at Laurelbank, some even suggesting that such a move was scheduled to take place as early as next month.

Fears for the future of the western office were again raised at a meeting of Omagh District Council on Thursday night last when Sinn Fein MLA, Barry McElduff said that he had been contacted by a number of concerned employees who were being relocated as part of DARD's restructuring of rural development.

"There are implications for jobs and the loss of jobs to the local economy," he said.

"There is a definite drive towards centralisation and it's something we as a party will be resisting.

"If there is to be relocation I want to ensure that these employees receive the right terms and conditions. We are in the business of de-centralisation and we are promoting places like Omagh and Strabane as prime locations for civil service and public sector jobs."

Councillor Bert Wilson of the UUP and the DUP's Tom Buchanan expressed similar sentiments.

Mr Wilson said he had been made aware of moves to take jobs away from the Omagh office and that there were genuine fears employment would be lost.

In a statement a spokesman for DARD said that there are no plans to close the Omagh dural development office or any other rural development office in the foreseeable future, however he did admit that the department was exploring ways of delivering a more efficient service.

He said, "The Department is currently examining how the new Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme will be delivered, and this may result in the need to reduce staff numbers in some areas. This will be dealt with through redeployment to other civil service offices rather than job losses."

News of the possible job cuts comes hot on the heels of the announcement that Northern Ireland Water is set to cut its workforce by 500 across the board, with the likelihood that some of the 35-40 workers based on the Gortin Road premises will not escape the axe.

One concerned employee indicated that 50% of the local workforce could be seeking other employment.

"There are genuine fears for the future of jobs in Omagh. There is no doubt the workforce will be reduced," said the employee.

Cllr Buchanan said that this was another example of centralisation. "It's a worrying trend and I have no doubt Omagh will suffer."

It is believed that the chief executive of Northern Ireland Water, Katharine Bryan will visit Omagh in the coming days.