Questions were also raised by the Opposition on the government’s commitment to paying Hides landowner royalties and IDGs in light of a cabinet decision to determine the parameters of those entitlements.
Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill, maintained that they had never made any commitments to landowners, and said it was previous ministers of state who had misled the landowners and the government.
He added that there needed to be an independent audit into previous payment of land owner royalties to avoid instances that have cost the government unnecessary billions.
According to Prime Minister O’Neill, landowners will therefore be paid their entitlements to ensure visibility of the transaction.
