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| Casement Park: Carál Ní Chuilín before Stormont committee | Casement Park: Carál Ní Chuilín before Stormont committee |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| Culture Minister Carál Ní Chuilín is giving evidence at the committee's inquiry into the Casement Park GAA stadium redevelopment. | |
| In April, safety expert Paul Scott said he was put under "undue pressure" to approve plans for the new stadium by officials from the culture department. | In April, safety expert Paul Scott said he was put under "undue pressure" to approve plans for the new stadium by officials from the culture department. |
| Ms Ní Chuilín told the committee that safety is paramount in delivery of the project. | Ms Ní Chuilín told the committee that safety is paramount in delivery of the project. |
| "It's simply unthinkable that I'd want to put lives at risk," she said. | "It's simply unthinkable that I'd want to put lives at risk," she said. |
| She said an independent investigation will take place into whistle blowing in light of "grievances raised" by Mr Scott at the committee on 30 April. | |
| Ms Ní Chuilín said she had also commissioned a review of the Casement project from a technical perspective. | |
| She it would likely take 10 to 12 weeks to complete and would be published afterwards. | |
| The minister said she was "very happy for anyone to look at this programme openly and transparently". | |
| The chair of the committee, the DUP's Nelson McCausland, pressed the minister as to whether previous discussions about safety had mentioned emergency exiting as a problem. | |
| "Absolutely, but it was not an issue that meant that advice that was given was ignored, or suppressed," Ms Ní Chuilín said. | |
| "It wasn't that it was an issue that needed to be brought up to a level for my attention. | |
| "I want to make this clear, at no time did anyone tell me that there was a Hillsborough-type scenario in waiting and I did nothing about it." | |
| She said she was "shocked" when she learned of the allegations made by Mr Scott on 30 April. | |
| David Hilditch of the DUP said there was a "substantial list of documents which say that safety was an issue at the Casement project" from about 2013. | |
| He described it as "worrying" that the minister was not made aware of it. | |
| "Is it not concerning that senior Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) officials and perhaps Sport NI have kept quiet, hidden, or even covered up some of these serious matters?" he asked. | |
| DUP assembly member William Humphrey read from the minutes of a Sport NI board meeting on 23 June 2014. | |
| He said these show that Mr Scott raised a number of "very serious issues". | |
| Ms Ni Chuilin said she would be taking the minutes and presenting them to the inquiry. | |
| She said that "no-one took it upon themselves to elevate it to my level that there were safety concerns". |