Sinn Féin MLA Colm Gildernew has said the Communities Minister must make it clear whether his department helped to fund a state of the art school pitch upgrade.

He was speaking after the Communities Committee agreed to write to the department to seek clarity on the matter.

Communities Committee Chair Colm Gildernew said: 

“Yesterday the committee agreed to write to the Department for Communities seeking clarification as to whether any of its funding went towards the £710,000 state of the art school pitch upgrade.   

“At a time of ongoing underfunding of public services, it’s vital that all public funds are properly accounted for, and that a transparent process is followed when allocating monies.

“Both the Communities Minister, Gordon Lyons, and the Education Minister, Paul Givan, met with this school to discuss plans to upgrade its sporting facilities.

“Gordon Lyons has not yet made it clear whether any of his department’s budget was allocated to this project, and I would urge him to clarify this as soon as possible.”