Chris Heaton-Harris won't be drawn on Casement Park costs and if goverment will makeup shortfall

The Secretary of State has refused to say how much he believes the redevelopment of Casement Park will cost and whether the government will make up the shortfall in the funding.

UTV exclusively reported that in February Chris Heaton-Harris wrote to Stormont minister Gordon Lyons to say senior officials from the department of the Communities had outlined the projected costs had risen to £308m.

In the letter Mr Heaton-Harris said: “I need to be clear that the UK Government will not accept a position where it is expected to cover the scale of funding gap that now appears to exist for a project in which costs have increased considerably with no guarantee that costs will not rise further.”

Speaking in Washington where he taking part in a series of events to mark St Patricks Day, the Secretary of State refused to confirm the £308m figure.

“I've seen all sorts of figures, the highest figure I've seen is over £300m. The lowest figure I've seen was when I started this role, which I think was £77m or £80m,” he said.

When asked if the government will make up any shortfall in funding, Mr Heaton-Harris said a definitive figure for the redevelopment will be needed before any decision can be taken.

“I'm saying let's wait and see what the final or the figure is. And then we can talk about what any gap might be,” Mr Heaton-Harris said.

The Secretary of State said it would be “wonderful” Casement Park can be developed so it can be used as a venue for Euro 2028 but added “there's no blank check.”

Mr Heaton-Harris has also refused to rule out the possibility of the UK government issuing an apology following the publication of the Kenova Report into the activities of army spy known as Stakeknife last week.

An apology from the government and the republican leadership was one of the recommendations contained in the report.

Mr Heaton-Harris said the government will wait to see the final report before making a decision.

However the Secretary of State insisted the government will not abandon the policy of neither confirming or denying the identity of state operatives. There have been calls for the so-called NCND policy to be set aside to confirm that Freddie Scappaticci was the spy known as Stakeknife .

Mr Heaton-Harris said no matter what “the complexion of the government” is it has always been the policy of the United Kingdom to defend NCND policy, adding “we will continue to do so.”

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.