Question raised about security measures over plan to base multiple departments in Belfast office block

The decision of the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) to quit its headquarters in Stormont for a new hub in Belfast city centre has drawn a mixed response, with a question raised about the security side of the move.
By Adam Kula
Published 7th Feb 2022, 17:54 BST
Updated 7th Feb 2022, 20:48 BST
Erskine HouseErskine House
Erskine House

The NIO has been based at Stormont House in east Belfast for many years, but has now declared it will set up shop in Erskine House instead, with the expectation that it will soon be joined by a raft of other wings of government.

Erskine House is a new glass-fronted office block on Chichester Street, just a short walk from City Hall.

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By contrast Stormont House dates back to 1926, some eight years before the construction of Parliament Buildings (the grand hilltop building that houses the NI Assembly).

It looks like a domestic residence, and originally it was; it served as the official address of the old Stormont parliament’s speaker.

The government announced the NIO was moving out on Monday, saying that the building which currently houses HMRC will also ultimately be home to staff from the Competitions and Marketing Authority, the Department of International Trade, and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities.

Jim Rodgers, the longest-serving councillor in Belfast, represents the Ormiston district where Stormont House is based.

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The UUP man said the NIO move is “a shock”, and that he is “disappointed they’re moving out of east Belfast, where they’ve been situated for as long as I can remember”.

He added: “There’s also security issues to be taken into consideration – that is very important and can’t be overlooked.”

For example, Stormont House has metal gates and a security guard post, and houses only the NIO, whereas if someone wanted to target Erskine House they could potentially damage several arms of government at once.

He also said that at present “traffic is an absolute nightmare” in the city centre, and wondered how shifting large numbers of jobs there will impact parking and congestion.

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Meanwhile Gavin Robinson, MP for East Belfast, hailed the move as “very positive,” saying that the ageing Stormont House has “very little use” these days.

He also said that it was not for him to “second-guess” the security arrangements of the new office, but that the fact a raft of organisations have seen fit to move into Erskine House means “we can see it as a vote of confidence”.

It is not clear how many staff are involved in either the NIO move, or the planned opening of offices for civil servants in these other agencies; the NIO did not respond to the News Letter’s questions at time of writing.

Click here for more from this reporter: Overwhelming bulk of shootings in NI are by republicans – but loyalists prefer fists and bombs

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