Stormont First Minister Peter Robinson faced a challenge from the NI Secretary of State in Parliament yesterday, over the contentious Maze stadium proposals.

Mr Robinson was discussing the gifting of army bases in the Province, during Northern Ireland Question Time in Westminster, when Shuan Woodward warned of the consequences for Northern Ireland if a stadium solution was not found before the 2012 London Olympic games.

The First Minister had asked the Government to deliver on its 2003 "promise" to gift Ulster Army bases to the Executive.

To which the Secretary of State insisted no such agreement had been made, he then referred to the granting of the Maze site.

Mr Woodward said: "There is disappointment that there continues to be disagreement about, for example, the Maze site which was gifted back in 2002."

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Mr Woodward described this controversy as regrettable.

"At the end of the day, if the national stadium project were to be lost from the Maze it would almost certainly mean that Northern Ireland would lose its opportunity to be one of those centres which will be focused in the Olympics in 2012," added the Secretary of State.

Yesterday, Lord Coe, Chair of the London Olympics Organising Committee, visited Northern Ireland to discuss the games with locals.

Lord Coe said consultation is a key part of his work, in order to explain the opportunities of the event to those living outside London.

The Maze debate has taken another turn, after a government finance representative suggested costs for the project could be slashed if planning constraints were lifted at the site.

Leo O'Reilly, the second Permanent Secretary at the Finance Department, said around £150 million of public expenditure for the proposed stadium could be saved.

Mr O'Reilly said current planning restraints have effectively placed a cap on the amount of private sector investment in the stadium.

Speaking to MLAs, Mr O'Reilly said, if the project were to be given the green light tomorrow, the preferred developer would contribute £55 million to the total cost. This would leave 300 acres of land left for development.

The Finance official said he would expect the private investment to quadruped if planning restrictions were lifted.

There is continued speculation that the Executive will vote down the Maze plans, amid scathing financial appraisals and Unionist and Nationalist disagreements.

(PR/JM)