Giant Headache For Causeway Developer

The developer at the heart of the proposed new Giant's Causeway Visitor Centre has insisted that no inducement was given to First Minister Ian Paisley or his son to gain their support for the scheme.

While the Northern Ireland First Minister and the Junior Minister had both lobbied on his behalf, he insisited it was purely because they believed in the project.

Seymour Sweeney has been mired in controversy since Stormont Environment Minister Arlene Foster, of the DUP, announced recently that she was "minded" to grant permission for his multimillion-pound scheme.

Amid rumour and speculation, Mr Sweeney called a news conference in Belfast to insist there had been no wrongdoing involving him and the Paisleys.

He also insisted his decision to join the DUP three or four years ago was not commercially based and said: "There is no special relationship between Ian Paisley Snr, Ian Paisley Jnr and myself. There is nothing to hide."

He said his only relationship with the political father and son had been as a constituent.

"If you have got a constituency problem in Northern Ireland and you go to the Paisleys with that, irrespective of class or creed, you will not find a more resolute and determined pair of public representatives to support you and lobby on your behalf - always providing they believe in the project.

"The Paisleys have never made any secret that they think this is a good scheme."

He added: "If there was anything untoward or underhand, do you really think that I would be sitting in the private members' dining room at Stormont having a cup of coffee with one of them and then going over to talk to another MLA when he came into the room?

"There is no special relationship other than that of constituent to MP, MLA and MEP as was."

He said "no money whatsoever has been given by me or any of my companies to any political party, including the DUP. There is no sponsorship of any kind whatsoever".

He said all he paid to the DUP was an annual subscription - the same as every other member.

(BMcC)