Michelle O'Neill
Mid Ulster · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“We are shocked and deeply saddened for both the victim of the horrific incident in north Belfast and the people who have been impacted on by the disorder that we have witnessed since. There is absolutely no justification for racism, violence or intimidation.”
“It is the latest chapter in a political psychodrama. It has been playing out in Westminster for forever and a day but particularly over the past 10 years. Tomorrow is the 10th anniversary of Brexit, which inflicted so much damage to the wider economy. We are now on the verge of having a seventh British Prime Minister in 10 years.”
“We cannot look at things in isolation. Whether it is the refugee integration strategy, the framework or the legislation, all those things need to move together and at pace.”
“I agree with the Member about the ugly language that was used to describe some people in our community. Like the Member, I have met many people from the black and ethnic minority community in recent times. I do that on an ongoing basis, but I did so recently given what happened over the last number of weeks.”
“There is not just one answer to it, as the Member knows. We need to come at it from every angle. That could be a policing response initially, for which additional funding was secured. I agree that this is the third year in a row in which we have had that type of racist behaviour on our streets. Likewise, I would describe it as a pogrom.”
“Building on that progress, the Executive Office is contributing £3·3 million towards the Derry on the North Atlantic Museum, which is due to open in 2027 and will further enhance Ebrington’s role as a heritage and tourism destination. <BR /> <BR />Ebrington is also continuing to develop as a vibrant events space.”
The complete record
Every one of 5,636 lines we hold for Michelle O'Neill, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 14 of 113.
“I assure you that Sinn Féin has advanced the A5 project at every turn, particularly in the Department for Infrastructure. I can also assure you of this: sound bites will not build the A5.”
“We have to deliver on our climate obligations and provide a safe future for future generations, but we also have to undertake major capital projects, so I want us to work our way through the judgment. We touched on the matter at our Executive meeting this morning, and we will continue to work our way through what it means legally.”
“I have covered the question of the A5. I have said it before and will say it again for the Member that, with every ounce of my being, I want to see the A5 project delivered. We will do everything that we can to ensure that that is the case. We are urgently working our way through the judgement. All options are on the table for what the next step looks like. It needs to be something that stops the legal challenge and gets the project on the ground. Working with the Minister for Infrastructure and other Ministers, I will do everything that I can. <BR /> <BR />In a separate but related point, the implications for major capital projects is something that the entire Executive have to turn their mind to.”
“I spoke about that earlier in response to a question from another Member. It is not always the case that, just by legislating, the picture will be improved. Sheila Nunan produced an independent report for the Irish Government, and they were disappointed that very few institutions paid, even though they had legislated for that. I do not have a closed mind to doing that: if it would deliver what we need it to deliver, we have to explore it. Experience from elsewhere, however, tells us that that is not the answer to this question: how do we ensure that the institutions pay up and pay their share? We will, however, explore the issue further as the legislation passes through the House.”
“We are seeking all the legal advice that is required, and all options are on the table, but I want the public to understand and hear clearly that the project is something that we are absolutely committed to ensuring is delivered.”
“The reality is that we are actually in an Executive that can do something about it. The reality is that we are absolutely committed to delivering the A5. The reality is that Liz Kimmins, as the Infrastructure Minister, is doing absolutely everything that she can to work through the legalities of the outworking of the legal judgement last week. <BR /> <BR />Of course, we are all disappointed. We are absolutely disappointed and rightly so. Everybody I have spoken to feels that. What the wider public want to hear is that we will do everything that we can to ensure that the project gets delivered as a matter of urgency. It has been going on for far too long. The court ruling last week is a setback, but we are working our way through it as we speak.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Member raised the issue of mother-and-baby institutions. That was an area that we discussed, and we want to learn from what has worked and what has not worked, because the Irish Government have been ahead of us in introducing legislation. There are lessons to be learnt about the contributions from the institutions. They legislated, but they still have not got a better outcome. We need to consider all of those things. There is a raft of areas and dimensions that need to be explored together more carefully, and that is why we have tasked officials to do so.”
“Yes, I concur with the Member's commentary around the theme. The common theme is women: women who have been failed, women shamefully treated by the state across this island, women and girls, babies robbed from their mothers. When you think about the shameful past of this island towards women, we have to do everything that we can to provide whatever support we can. We are doing that, obviously, with the legislation. You refer to male violence against women: that is something that I am so passionate about. We need to do everything that we can to address the societal problems that we have and the issue of misogyny. I am pleased to see a lot of the work that we are doing in supporting local groups providing work in the communities around our strategy, and I want to see more of that continue.”
“, but you cannot vote in that election. That is so out of date and needs to be rectified. It is an anomaly that needs to be immediately fixed. I continue to commend that approach. I also should acknowledge that they had this debate in the Dáil last week, and, again, there was unanimous support. Now it is time to turn that into action, to legislate for it and make it happen and to give Irish citizens in the North the chance to vote for our Uachtarán”
“I absolutely concur with the Member. That is my personal view, obviously, and not the view of the Office. I welcome the fact that the Assembly voted in favour of presidential voting rights. It is long past time to correct that democratic deficit and long past time for presidential voting rights to be expanded to Irish citizens here. The reality is that, as an Irish citizen in the North, you can stand in the election, you can become the Uachtarán na hÉireann”
“We have good areas of cooperation in health, and I would like us to continue to build on that.”
“I will help you out with your confusion, perhaps. The Health Minister was unable to be at the NSMC meeting, but we discussed areas of cooperation around muscular dystrophy as part of the consideration of rare diseases. There are real advantages to working across the island to support people who have rare diseases, particularly when it comes to access to drugs. The Health Minister's counterpart raised that at the meeting, and I spoke to the Health Minister this morning about that, because we should pick up this area and run with it together. Let us support people with potentially very rare diseases in cases where we do not have the expertise in one or other of the jurisdictions, so that we can make a difference to people's lives. I assure the Member that health is always on the agenda.”
“Thank you for that. I will have to write to you with any detailed considerations. In arriving at the juncture where we have presented the legislation for scrutiny and analysis, we took into account all of the issues, and there is no doubt that it is challenging. People have different opinions about the date for posthumous claims, for example, which I absolutely understand. I encourage the Member, as part of the Executive Office Committee's scrutiny, to work through that. I have no doubt that the Committee will make recommendations that we will have to consider in due course. I am glad that the Bill has been introduced and that we are, at least, at the discussion phase, where we can shape the final legislation.”
“Our next steps will involve the continuing engagement of Department of Finance officials with the NIO and the Irish Government on the specifics of what a potential new programme would look like. Suffice to say that, for me, the signs are positive for the achievement of a successor programme.”
“Thank you for that question. Yes, we discussed that matter, because, as the Member will know, the Peace programme has had such a significant impact across all of our communities. We have only to look around us to see the value in some of the projects that have been delivered. The current programme is well under way, with 88% of the programme having already been committed. That is a huge investment of approximately £815 million over 102 projects. <BR /> <BR />We raised the issue of a successor programme, and it was reported to us that, when the Taoiseach and the British Prime Minister had a conversation about that matter, they agreed in principle to a successor programme, That, in itself, is a step forward.”
“That, in itself, is something that we have to learn from. We will have to take that on board, if we feel that a legislative approach to the issue is required. That is a part of the journey through the legislative process that we will definitely come back to.”
“I concur with the Member: the institutions need to pay. That is important, and the Committee for the Executive Office is looking at it as part of the passage of our legislation. We took the opportunity at our meeting to raise the issue with the Taoiseach in the context of learning, because the Irish Government went through the process and took a certain approach. It is important that we engage with them on how they conducted themselves and how successful or not that was. By all accounts, it was not as successful as, you would think, it would be when it is legislated for. <BR /> <BR />We are also aware of report of the independent negotiator, Sheila Nunan, for the Irish Government. She stated that they were disappointed in what they had been able to achieve and that only a few institutions had provided contributions to the redress scheme.”
“I will continue to work with the Minister responsible and all Ministers around the Executive table to ensure that the Casement Park project is delivered and finally brought over the line after many years of delay.”
“Thanks for that question. Casement Park was raised at the meeting and subsequently at the press conference. We have momentum behind the project, insofar as we have the British Government's announcement of their commitment of £50 million towards the project. I believe in investing in sport. I believe in the investment in Casement Park, because of what it will mean for west Belfast and, nationally, for the GAA. Importantly, we must all come at it with a can-do attitude. Let us invest in sport across the board. Let us do that, because sport makes a meaningful and positive difference to people's lives. Now that we have the quantum on the table from the British Government, all attention has to be turned to charting a way forward.”
“Unfortunately, as the Member knows, there is an issue with the additional funding that the Irish Government wish to put on the table. The problem lies in this jurisdiction, because Executive partners, particularly the DUP, do not want to see that additional funding coming in. That is a case of cutting your nose off to spite your face. It is additional funding to those bodies that could help trade, tourism and a range of areas. I continue to travel in hope and urge there to be a sense of pragmatism about additional funding for our bodies. We should take it.”
“The Executive discussed the matter this morning. The outworking of the judge's ruling is an issue, but let us not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Let us work our way through practical solutions that allow us to deliver on major capital projects such as the A5 whilst protecting our planet for future generations. We can do both, but we will have to navigate legally around what that looks like for us as an Executive. Like many others, I am concerned about what the ruling means for how we proceed with major capital projects in future, but we can navigate our way through it successfully. We can protect our environment and deliver on big capital projects that, we know, need to be delivered.”
“That approach was very much embraced at the meeting, and people felt that it was an area where we absolutely should cooperate. We can do good things when we learn from and lean into one another.”
“I concur with the Member on the death of Sarah Montgomery at the weekend. It was such a tragedy. A young mummy has been taken from her children. It is heartbreaking and unimaginable. I cannot imagine what that family is going through. <BR /> <BR />For our part, we must recognise that we have a societal problem to deal with. We have our strategy for ending violence against women and girls, and we must continue to review it to make sure that it is fit for purpose and that we do everything that we can. This is not unique to us; it is a societal problem across the board. As the statement sets out, we have tasked officials to come back to us with practical ways in which we can continue to collaborate across the area. We have to tackle the scourge of violence against women and girls. I want us to do everything that we can.”
“A number of bilateral meetings took place, and the deputy First Minister and I had a chance to discuss the issue of legacy more generally with the Irish Government. It is important that we all turn our attention to dealing with the legacy of the past and that every one of us uses our best efforts to ensure that we bring forward mechanisms that are human rights-compliant. Everybody has a part to play in that. I want to unburden today's generation of the legacy of the past. Let us find ways to do that politically. I recommend that approach to the Irish Government, the British Government and everybody else who wants to get us to a point where we have a way to deal with the past that commands maximum support from victims and survivors.”
“We will take on the points that have been set out in the ruling. All options are on the table and are being actively explored as next steps. The commitment to the A5 project stands: the road must be delivered.”
“I absolutely concur with the Member: the A5 must be built. The project is long overdue, and we must fulfil our commitment. With every ounce of my being, I will put all attention and effort into ensuring that the A5 is built. There is no doubt that last week's court ruling is a huge setback for the project. However, I say to the Member that we are actively working our way through the detail and that there is urgency to that work. <BR /> <BR />Let me be clear as First Minister, a Tyrone woman, a mummy and someone who knows closely and acutely how dangerous that road is: we will do everything to ensure that the project is delivered. We all know too many families who have lost a loved one on that dangerous stretch of road. They want to hear from us today that we will fix the problem and deliver the road.”
“That will very much help us to pick up things that work well in other jurisdictions and apply that learning here. We have our own strategy, because we recognise the significant problem that we have. <BR /> <BR />We had a really good, engaged discussion across the NSMC about the common challenges and potential areas for exploration. We tasked officials at North/South Ministerial Council level to come back to us with recommendations on potential areas that we can explore together. I look forward to the item remaining on the agenda, because the reality is that, unfortunately, it is a huge societal problem that we all share, and we must apply all our efforts to ending what is a scourge and an epidemic in our society.”
“I concur with you, as, I am sure, does everybody in the House, and convey our sympathy and thoughts to the family of Sarah Montgomery — another young mother whose life has been taken. It is such a tragedy. It really underlines for us all, once again, that we have a huge problem in our society with violence against women and girls. <BR /> <BR />It was important that we added the issue to the agenda of the North/South Ministerial Council, because the challenges that we face are felt across the whole island and, indeed, these islands. One of the tangible actions in that area of work is that our officials have now taken the lead in forming a five-jurisdiction working group that is looking at how we all come at ending violence against women and girls.”
“That is what we discussed at the Executive this morning, and it is what I will continue to discuss with the Infrastructure Minister. All options are on the table. This is an urgent and necessary issue. The A5 road project will be delivered.”
“First, we were all very disappointed with the outworking of the judge's ruling last week. The A5 project was and remains an Executive flagship project. It must be delivered. It must be delivered because of the strategic route's significance and for the economy, job creation and access to services. It must be delivered, because it is a safety issue. It has to be about saving lives. I am absolutely committed, and I stand over our commitment to ensuring that the A5 is built. That is what the public want to hear. They want to know how we will address the issues that the judge set out in his ruling, a detailed ruling at that. <BR /> <BR />There is no doubt that it is a setback. We need to turn all our attention now to making sure that the road is delivered.”
“Ministers recognised the unacceptably high levels of gender-based violence and violence against women and girls that are prevalent across both jurisdictions and noted that addressing the issue will require a whole-of-society approach. The NSMC agreed that officials should continue to explore opportunities for joint working in that area, recognising the common challenges faced. <BR /> <BR />The meeting closed with Ministers agreeing a future schedule for NSMC meetings across the various sectors and agreeing that the next NSMC plenary meeting will take place in Dublin in the autumn of this year. That concludes the statement.”
“The NSMC also noted ongoing North/South cooperation in sharing knowledge and identifying lessons learned from the redress scheme. The Council noted that Executive Office officials attended an engagement event on the development of the National Centre for Research and Remembrance in Dublin. Ministers noted the ongoing engagement between the Public Record Office and the National Archives on records and that comparable legislation for the preservation of private records related to institutions is now in place in both jurisdictions. <BR /> <BR />The Council went on to consider ending violence against women and girls (EVAWG) and tackling gender-based violence.”
“The Council also noted the progress that has been made on the delivery of collaborative research and innovation programmes. <BR /> <BR />Ministers welcomed the implementation of the PEACE PLUS programme and the discussions with relevant stakeholders on the potential for a successor to the current PEACE PLUS programme. <BR /> <BR />The next item on the agenda related to mother-and-baby institutions, Magdalene laundries and workhouses. The Council welcomed the ongoing North/South engagement on the potential reciprocal arrangements to disregard redress payments for means-tested benefits for mother-and-baby institution payment schemes and noted upcoming engagements between officials on the forthcoming truth recovery redress scheme.”
“Ministers also noted the ongoing work to progress the all-island strategic rail review's recommendations and the increase in passenger numbers through the hourly service on the Belfast to Dublin corridor. Ministers noted the progress that has been made on the Narrow Water bridge project and welcomed the Government of Ireland's Programme for Government commitment to engage with all relevant stakeholders to establish air connectivity between Dublin Airport and City of Derry Airport. The NSMC noted the work being done on cross-border greenways, including the opening of the Carlingford lough greenway later in the year and the review of further potential greenway opportunities. <BR /> <BR />Ministers noted the progress that has been made on the Ulster University Magee expansion project.”
“<BR /> <BR />The NSMC noted that engagement on a wide range of policy areas continues across all NSMC work sectors and that Ministers had discussed climate change and loss of biodiversity at the relevant sectoral meetings. <BR /> <BR />The Council considered infrastructural investment cooperation, and Ministers welcomed the decision by the Executive to proceed with the A5 western transport corridor project and to await the outcome of the legal proceedings. Obviously, things have moved on in that area since the meeting, with the legal outworking last week. The Council noted that Waterways Ireland continues to progress phase 3 of the Ulster canal restoration project.”
“<BR /> <BR />The NSMC received an update report from the joint secretaries and noted that, since the last plenary meeting in September 2024, Ministers had met in 10 sectors and that meetings in the remaining sectors would take place by the end of July. The Council reported that it had considered a number of corporate governance matters in each of the North/South implementation bodies, including business plans, budgets and annual reports and accounts. It was noted that board members, including chairpersons and vice chairpersons, were appointed to a number of the bodies and that the NSMC approved the reappointment of the CEOs of InterTradeIreland and Waterways Ireland.”
“<BR /> <BR />The first item on the agenda related to business and trade matters, and the NSMC had an exchange of views on the business and trade implications of recent developments in the international sphere. The Council noted the respective strategies in each jurisdiction on business and trade-related areas such as industrial policy, competitiveness and AI. The Council agreed that, in what is an increasingly complex and unpredictable international trading environment, it is important that the two Administrations remain engaged with each other at political and official level on business and trade matters. The NSMC agreed that, where appropriate, the NSMC sector should continue to consider how agreed collaborative approaches can contribute to the promotion of economic growth.”
“In compliance with the Northern Ireland Act 1998, I wish to make the following statement on the twenty-ninth plenary meeting of the North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC), which was held in the joint secretariat offices in Armagh on 20 June 2025. The deputy First Minister and I agreed that I would provide the report. <BR /> <BR />The deputy First Minister and I led the Executive delegation, and the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin TD, led the Irish Government delegation. The deputy First Minister and I chaired the meeting. This was the first meeting of the NSMC in plenary format since the new Government of Ireland took office and since the publication of Programmes for Government in both jurisdictions. The meeting provided an opportunity for Ministers to discuss a range of issues of mutual interest and concern.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.”
“I beg to introduce the Inquiry (Mother and Baby Institutions, Magdalene Laundries and Workhouses) and Redress Scheme Bill [NIA 15/22-27], which is a Bill to make provision relating to a Truth Recovery Public Inquiry into Mother and Baby Institutions, Magdalene Laundries and Workhouses between 1922 and 1995; to establish the Truth Recovery Redress Service and to enable payments to be made to or in respect of certain persons; and for connected purposes.”
“I do not know the ins and outs of the case, but, obviously, people should be factual when they are making a claim; that is important. It is also very important that the Police Service is as inclusive as the society that it represents. Trust and confidence in policing are also crucial. All those components need to be right for people to have faith in the Police Service. I have already been to a recruitment event for the PSNI, and I call on people to join the PSNI.”
“It is not the case that I did not answer; it is the fact that you do not like the answer. Let me repeat it for you: I will await the Equality Commission's advice and guidance. It would be better if everybody in the House were sensitive to this issue as we try to work our way through it on the basis of the Equality Commission advice and ensure that there is consistency across all the Departments.”
“I await the Equality Commission's advice. That has been my position in the House, and that remains my position.”
“Yes, I am more than happy to do so. The junior Minister informs me that, yes, they have actually met. I am more than happy to engage with all representatives of our community here. If we are to make this the most warm, welcoming and inclusive place, we need to engage with their representatives, particularly consuls general or ambassadors.”
“I cannot recall, off the top of my head, any engagement. I assume that we will have met the ambassador when they came, certainly at a First Minister/deputy First Minister level or at a junior Minister level, as we do with all the ambassadors who represent the population here. I will confirm that in writing.”
“Again, I am mindful of any sort of legal proceedings or whatever, but I have made my point about solidarity with the individuals — Liam Óg, Sue and Martine — because I think that anybody who goes out to raise their voice — rightly so, in my opinion — and call for an end to the genocide in Palestine is doing a good thing, because the international community is far too silent, has failed to act and has failed to end the genocide in Palestine. <BR /> <BR />I can tell you that I raised that issue with Keir Starmer on Friday. I made it very clear that they needed to end their arms sales to Israel, and I made it very clear that they needed to step up sanctions against Israel in a real and detailed way, because to not do so is to be complicit in what Israel is doing.”
“OK. Thank you. Mindful of that, I first send solidarity to both parties that the Member referred to. Highlighting genocide and the inhumane slaughter of defenceless citizens is not a crime. That is certainly my view, and I send solidarity to all those protesting and calling for an end to the genocide in Palestine.”
“We are working our way through them. As the junior Minister said, we will introduce the legislation on the Race Relations Order very soon in this political session. We will also move to publish the refugee integration strategy, hopefully, in the next number of days. We are working our way through the international relations strategy. It has to be refreshed, given everything that is happening globally. It is a very fluid situation. <BR /> <BR />I am determined to get those things published to allow us to do everything that we can to build this society to be an inclusive and welcoming society where everybody feels comfortable and has their space. It will take a combination of those strategies to make that happen.”
“I want this to be a great place for everybody to live where they can be comfortable and achieve their best. Whatever I can do to help communities, whether it be the Polish community or any other community, please feel free to knock on my door and let me know what we can do or where we are perhaps not doing enough. I am more than happy to engage with the Member on that.”
“Our tourism potential here is immense, and we should maximise it right across the island.”