Alex Attwood to hold talks over Coleraine DVLA jobs 28 February 2013 Last updated at 07:37 Environment Minister Alex Attwood is to meet the UK Transport Department, amid speculation that hundreds of jobs could be lost at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in Coleraine. There are plans to transfer the jobs to Swansea in Wales as part of centralisation moves. Mr Attwood said he was opposed to any move and had not been consulted. "They've told me that they won't make any decision without consulting me," Mr Attwood said. They have not said to me that any decision is forthcoming, therefore I am cautious about the rumours, but I'm convinced we'll continue to make the argument that the 300-odd jobs in Coleraine must be protected. The government wants to centralise the DVLA in Swansea and move more services online by the end of 2013. It would mean jobs being lost in Coleraine as well as dozens of offices in the rest of the UK. Ryan McKinney, from the union, NIPSA, said it was a serious issue for Coleraine and the area could lose 259 posts. Mr McKinney said the "axe had been hanging over the staff" in Coleraine since December 2011. "The staff are obviously very, very concerned that they potentially have the dole office to look forward to," he said. He said Mr Attwood would have a "tough job" to persuade the government to change their centralisation plans, as they seemed committed to them. East Londonderry assembly member John Dallat has written to the Under Secretary of State for Transport, Stephen Hammond, asking him not to proceed with any job losses. "If this proposal was to go ahead, with no provision for those who would be left unemployed, it would have a serious impact not just on the people directly affected, but also on the travel to work area which affects not just Coleraine but Limavady and Ballymoney," he said. In the last year only three potential inward investors visited Coleraine at the behest of Invest Northern Ireland and, given that unemployment is at a record high, the future prospects for people in that area are very poor, particularly for young people in the age group 16-25. Mr Dallat added that the "odds are stacked against us."