Traffic Management (Northern Ireland) Order 2005

I appreciate the words of the noble Baroness. I understand the problems. This is an order, so there would not be a request to meet the Minister on issues such as this, but simply to be briefed by officials on what is meant by the order. However, I shall make progress. I have grave concerns about the order. Like other Members, I am anxious that such an order will put an undue emphasis on the collection of money through fines and insufficient emphasis on safety. A service of this nature that is motivated by profit and, therefore, open to corruption, will do little to improve highway and pedestrian safety. When the former Minister, Mr Spellar, announced the decision to privatise traffic wardens back in November 2004, he said:"““The decision to employ a specialist contractor is based on extensive research on the best practice of enforcement across the UK””." I wonder how many people in England agree. We hear many stories of traffic wardens determined to issue as many tickets as possible, and of some being sacked because they did not meet the daily, weekly or monthly quotas. Indeed, you have only to walk down a local high street in England to see wardens approaching the service with tremendous gusto, ticketing all who cross their path. The department has already said that no quotas will be placed on the service. Can the Minister repeat this assurance today? Perhaps more worrying is the impact all this has on the traffic wardens themselves. A recent report by UNISON called Clamping Down on Violence said:"““There is evidence that some local authorities, or more particularly the private companies they employ to undertake parking control, are exploiting drivers and attendants alike in the relentless pursuit of higher fines revenue. This can have a significant effect on the health and safety of attendants, putting them at even greater risk of violence in an already dangerous job””." It is clear that traffic wardens already face daily harassment and the very real threat of violence. Ninety per cent suffer some form of violent incident at work each year, according to the UNISON survey, and almost 20 per cent are attacked or threatened on at least a weekly basis. This will only increase if this profit-driven approach is applicable in Northern Ireland. UNISON recommended a review of parking control methods in Great Britain, to encourage its use primarily as a method of public safety and congestion control, rather than a revenue collection service. Should we not strive to do the same in Northern Ireland rather than merely replicate legislation from Great Britain that is possibly flawed? Can the Minister tell us what impact all this will have on current traffic wardens and their jobs? Will there be any redundancies as a result of the order?