§ Mr. TrimbleTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the timetable is for the restoration of the visitor centre at the Giant's Causeway, County Antrim; and if he will make a statement. [157274]
§ Mr. PearsonThe Government have set Easter 2006 as the target date for the provision of new visitor facilities at the Giant's Causeway.
A Prior Information Notice which declares Government's intention to run parallel international competitions for both the architectural design and for the interpretation and fit out of the new facilities will be placed in the Official Journal of the European Union during week commencing 1 March 2004. This is the first step in the process and will be followed by the Formal Notice for the Architectural Design Competition which will invite expressions of interest. The architectural competition, which will be supervised by the International Union of Architects in Paris, will be run in accordance with UNESCO standard regulations for international competitions for World Heritage Sites.