Campbell welcomes inquiry report into Belfast Harbour

Regional Development minister Gregory Campbell has welcomed the report from the Regional Development Committee’s inquiry into the Titanic Quarter leases in Belfast harbour.

Speaking during an Assembly debate on Monday 17 September, Mr Campbell said: “I will obviously want to consider each of the report’s recommendations carefully and would intend to respond to the Committee on these in due course.

“However, none of the recommendations come as a particular surprise to me, indeed many of them stem from discussions I have had with the Committee extending over several months. In general terms, I regard them as a reasonable and sensible set of proposals.”

The minister added that he believed that a Memorandum of Understanding, which came into effect on August 1, together with the package of measures designed to improve public accountability, heralded a new beginning in terms of the relationship between Belfast Harbour Commissioners and other trust ports and elected representatives.

Following the publication of the report, the chairman of the Regional Development Committee Alban Maginnis called for the Harbour Commissioners to be held more “accountable to the department and the Assembly”.

Mr Campbell further echoed Mr Maginness’ sentiments in the Assembly on Monday and added: “I have no doubt lessons have been learned as a result of the inquiry. I believe however that we can now put the controversy surrounding the Titanic Quarter lease behind us and begin to look to a future in which greater commercial freedom will be balanced against improved public accountability.”

Referring to the long-running debate on the future of the Port of Belfast, Mr Campbell said he had reached the conclusion that the Port should remain as a trust port in the public sector, and as such, hoped that BHC and port users would now be able to plan the future development of the Harbour with greater confidence. (AMcE)