Minister Must Come Before Committee - Bradley
Mr. Bradley, who first raised the issue after the committee met with Professor Mark Bailey during a site visit to the Armagh Observatory last month said,
'The Armagh Observatory is known the world over for its amazing work and it is a deplorable situation that its future is under threat due to the lack of funding support from the Department of Culture Arts and Leisure. Devolved Government is about local people taking local decisions and this very issue must prove that devolved Government and local Ministers can make the decisions local communities want.'
'I have been working closely with the management of the Observatory to try and get this issue resolved, but I am astonished by the lack of commitment and lack of the sense of urgency of the Minister and his officials on this issue. I was extreemly suprised to learn this week that the Minister wasn't aware of the funding difficulties being experienced by the Observatory. For this reason I have asked the Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure to call the Minister and his officials before the committee next week to address our concerns. Furthermore I have requested an Assembly Adjournment Debate on the issue of the funding of the Armagh Observatory.'
'As a Member of the Culture Arts and Leisure Committee and indeed as a Newry and Armagh Assembly Member this issue is of grave concern to me and every effort must be made to resolve this issue to secure the future of the Armagh Observatory for generations to come.'
| Last Revised: 2008 April 4th |
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