To ask the Minister for the Economy to confirm (i) whether her Department requested that statements critical of current energy governance in Northern Ireland were to be removed in University of Exeter Report on Energy governance for the Northern Ireland energy transition; and, (ii) if so, the rationale for this request.

My Department’s role in any external research, is to help ensure it is factually accurate and supported by evidence. The researchers from the University of Exeter provided my officials with an initial draft of the report for review and comment, which was shared with a range of government stakeholders. Officials provided information to the researchers to seek to ensure the factual accuracy of the report’s contents. This would be viewed as ‘normal practice’.

It is for the authors to use any information provided to them to draw their own conclusions which, naturally, may change as additional evidence is gathered.