Nesbitt calls on Sports Minister to clarify Casement Park position

Ulster Unionist Leader, Mike Nesbitt MLA, is calling on Culture, Arts and Leisure Minister, Carál Ní Chuilín MLA, to clarify the position regarding the safety of Casement Park, or resign.

This follows the quite extraordinary testimony from Sport NI official Paul Scott to the DCAL Committee, when he made clear he has been bullied ever since first raising safety concerns about the stadium design, particularly the fact that an evacuation of a full house could not be completed anywhere near the recommended time.

Mr Nesbitt said:

“Either the Minister makes a full statement to explain why she pressed ahead with a building plan that posed a potentially fatal risk to 38,000 people, or she should go.

“I asked the Minister to address the issues in a recent Question Time at the Assembly, but she refused to engage seriously, trying to give me the impression that the plans could not have reached the advanced stage they did without meeting all safety checks. Mr Scott makes clear this is not the case, and in fact, on the contrary, key safety advisers either had not approved the plans or had voiced serious concerns over the evacuation times.

“That a safety officer should be subjected to bullying is a scandal. The bottom line is that the Minister is the Department so the buck stops with her. The public have the right to a full, and transparent statement immediately.”

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