§ David BurnsideTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which Minister was responsible for the placing of an order for 23 new train sets for Northern Ireland Railways; who signed the contract; and on what date it was signed. [90763]
§ Angela SmithThe Minister responsible for transport matters at the time the order for 23 new trains was placed was Mr. Peter Robinson MP, the Minister for Regional Development in the Northern Ireland Assembly. The contract was signed on 28 February 2002 by Dr. Joan Smith and Mr. Ted Hesketh, on behalf of Northern Ireland Railways and by Sr Luis Capuchino, on behalf of Construcciones y Auxliar de Ferrocarrilles SA, the Spanish company that will supply the trains.