Committee Takes Formal Action Against Minister

The Committee for Regional Development has agreed to exercise its statutory powers under section 44(1) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 to require the Minister for Regional Development to produce the project assessment review (PAR) report into the Coleraine to Londonderry rail track project. 

Speaking today, the Chair to the Committee, Mr Trevor Clarke MLA, said: “The Committee has been left with no option but to use its power to require the Minister to release the PAR report, which is critical to our inquiry into what has gone wrong with this project.  We have given the Minister every opportunity to voluntarily release the report but he has continued to decline our requests on numerous occasions.

“I would hope that the Minister and his officials will finally see sense in this matter.  Non-compliance with the notice is a criminal offence and such an action could also have the potential of incurring significant legal costs at a time when the Department and its arms’ length bodies are already facing difficult financial constraints.”

The Minister has until 13:00hrs on Monday 23, March 2015 to provide the Committee with the report.

ENDS

Committee Membership:

The Chairperson of the Committee is Trevor Clarke MLA
 Chairperson is Sean Lynch MLA 

The Committee has a further nine members:

Joe Byrne MLA
John Dallat MLA
Alex Easton MLA
Ross Hussey MLA
Chris Lyttle MLA
Declan McAleer MLA
David McNarry MLA
Stephen Moutray MLA
Cathal Ó hOisín MLA