AQW 15755/11-15

Mr Stewart Dickson
Alliance Party
East Antrim

Tabled Date: 17/10/2012
Answered On Date: 25/10/2012
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment whether her Department held discussions with the National Trust or the Northern Ireland Tourist Board on the potential for the reflection of creationism within the new Giant's Causeway Visitor Centre being a condition of the grant that the National Trust received from her Department.

Answer:

The Department received a number of representations relating to the Giant's Causeway Visitor Centre about a range of issues including creationism. At no time did my Department try to dictate or influence the content of the exhibition at the visitors centre or make the content a condition of grant support. The letter of offer to the National Trust did not make the inclusion of creationism in the exhibition a grant condition.

The final decision as to the content of the interpretive solution was taken by the National Trust as project promoters. It was based on research into visitor expectation and need and involved consultation with a wide group of stakeholders.