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.”
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“All Executive colleagues, including our Communities and sports Minister and our Economy Minister, will be interested in it. We demonstrated when we had the Giro that we can host big international events, and that is something that is to be built upon. I would have to look a bit more into what we are chasing right now, but the Open is certainly where we are focused for the next period. <BR /> <BR />We have to reach for all the opportunities that we have. We missed an opportunity with the Euros because we were not part of that bid. That was a missed opportunity for great investment here. However, let us continue to celebrate what we have that is great, whether it be the GAA Ulster final, rugby, soccer or the North West 200 motorbike racing event, which I went to recently for the first time, or the Open.”
“I look forward to being able to build on that and to have the ambition to reach for even more of those big international competitions.”
“We are going to host the Open, and what a great opportunity that will be for us. In fact, later today, we are hosting an event with the Claret Jug here in Parliament Buildings, and all MLAs are invited. <BR /> <BR />We are starting to tap into the huge economic potential that that event will have for us through tourism and the sporting event. So many opportunities will come from it. We are a lovely place to visit, and people will see that when they tune into the Open. We are told that a huge number of people will tune in and that 150 countries will broadcast the Open. The economic benefit is £213 million, so that is huge. <BR /> <BR />The Open is just one of many events that we host here and that we do very well.”
“I am not aware of any particular pieces of work on that, but good relations work through Together: Building a United Community (T:BUC) funding is usually done in conjunction with partners, including the PSNI. <BR /> <BR />When it comes to good relations and looking at where things are, not least with some things that we have seen over the past couple of days with the sectarian intimidation of families, everything needs to be done to ensure that such events do not happen. We continue to make that case to our Department to see what we can do to build good relations and we continue to challenge the PSNI on what it is doing to tackle sectarianism.”
“As you know, we have made commitments in our Programme for Government in that area. We support the PSNI when it comes to its need for additional numbers. It is also very important that we have an appropriately funded justice system. We also know the significance of neighbourhood policing and how important it is to ensure that those officers are close to the ground and engaged with the local community in which they serve. That is the best way to build community trust and confidence. We will continue to meet the Chief Constable, and we will meet Executive colleagues about prioritising Budget decisions in the aftermath of the CSR.”
“In the comprehensive spending review, we want to see a fair funding model and a three-year Budget that allows us to plan for the future. We have to recognise that we have been underfunded, but we are making that case. As a matter of fact, you and your party colleagues joined the rest of the Executive parties on day 1 to make that very case.”
“It is important that we continue to fight for good public services. <BR /> <BR />In case you are in any doubt, we continue to make the case for additional fiscal powers, and we have done so for quite a long time. As a matter of fact, my colleagues stood up the Fiscal Commission and brought forward arguments as to why we need more fiscal powers and levers and why we need to invest in our infrastructure after all the years of austerity. We are absolutely committed to doing that and to building more social and affordable homes, but we need a proper funding model. Instead of just talking about it in the Chamber, I put that case directly to Keir Starmer last week when I engaged with him on the funding model for this place: it is not fit for purpose.”
“I will work in reverse. I do not accept your final comment at all. It is not about inaction; it is about trying to deliver on our Programme for Government commitments within the limitations of a devolved space. I am surprised that you do not understand the difference between the two jurisdictions that, unfortunately, exist on this island. Until we work towards the point at which we can unite people across the island for the betterment of the public services — better health, education and infrastructure — we are stuck with the deal that we have. We have to continue to fight against the austerity agenda with which the Labour Government are continuing in the aftermath of 14 years of it. The fact that our public services are on their knees here is an outworking of the jurisdiction in which we live.”
“I have not seen Eoin's comment, but suffice to say that all Governments need to do better when it comes to housing and infrastructure investment. Unfortunately, as you know, there are two jurisdictions across this island: a devolved Assembly with limited powers that has been starved of resources for 14-plus years and a Government in Dublin who are failing on the housing agenda. We have targets in the Programme for Government, and we are determined to try to deliver on those.”
“With your permission, Mr Speaker, junior Minister Reilly will answer the question.”
“You see, it is not a binary choice. We can have good public services, and we can invest in our sporting infrastructure. The redevelopment of Casement Park is long overdue. It is the remaining stadium to be built. It is a commitment across the Executive and in the Programme for Government, and it will be built.”
“Yes. I constantly call on the British Government to let us know exactly what they will do to fulfil their political commitment to building Casement Park. It will take all partners working together to ensure that the project gets across the line. We missed a huge opportunity by not being able to play our part in the Euros, with the economic benefit that it would have brought to us all. As the Member knows, the development of Casement Park is a flagship priority for the Executive, and we are committed to it. It is a long-overdue home for Ulster Gaels, and it is now time to get the stadium built. I am determined to continue to work with everybody to ensure that the funding contribution is put on the table so that we can get on with the project. Let us get Casement Park built.”
“We have to put every bit of energy and effort that we have into ensuring that Casement Park will be built. It is an Executive flagship project. I am determined to see it over the line and to work with all partners to ensure that that happens. I hope that the Minister for Communities got a sense of how important it is to Gaels across the island to play games in their own stadiums. I am sure that he got a flavour of that at the weekend. I am absolutely determined to ensure that we get movement on Casement Park. That means working with the Minister, the British Government, the Irish Government, the GAA and all partners who are committed to ensuring that the project gets over the line.”
“We have consistently raised the issue during our engagement with all levels of the British and Irish Governments, and, this afternoon, we will meet the Minister for Communities for further discussions, following his recent engagement with the Secretary of State and the GAA.”
“The Member is right that that was the conclusion of the convention. I referenced what we voted on in the Chamber, but you are absolutely right: it is about all Irish citizens being able to vote for their uachtarán.”
“The Member ignores the reality, I am afraid: we had that very debate in the Chamber, and a majority of elected Members voted to call on the Irish Government to ensure that citizens who live in the North have voting rights in the election of the president of Ireland.”
“We are 12 years beyond the constitutional convention and its participants' overwhelming endorsement of the extension of the franchise. It is my view and, now, that of the majority in the House that the extension of voting rights to citizens who live in the North needs to be endorsed.”
“Yes, I absolutely agree with that, and I thank the Member for bringing the issue to the Chamber for debate a short while ago. The outcome of that debate — the vote in the Chamber — was decisive in showing the support of elected Members in the Chamber for the right to vote in the presidential election later this year. That is, obviously, my personal view, but I took the time after the debate to write to the Taoiseach to inform him that it had been endorsed in the Chamber. <BR /> <BR />It is time for the Irish Government to correct what has been a deficit in our democratic right to vote in that election. We continue to encourage the Taoiseach to rectify an anomaly for Irish citizens in the North: you can stand for election, but you cannot vote. The argument for that is not tenable or credible.”
“There is no agreed position on the issue.”
“One might fear that the Member is trying to curry favour with the Speaker with that comment. In general, yes, it is crucial that more young people come forward into public life to shape the bodies and how we design policy. Again, the best example that I have of that is the role that young people played in the ending violence against women and girls strategy. However, if we are to design policies and strategies that will deliver on the needs of the public, that process needs to be inclusive, so, on the general point, yes, absolutely, having more young people, more people from an ethnic minority background and more people who reflect the society that we live in will always lead to better policy and decision-making.”
“The Member is aware, however, that we have some of the bodies that we do because of the political context here and the fact that we need to engender public trust and oversight for some work. As an Executive, we will definitely revisit the matter.”
“You are right that each Department has its own remit, legislatively, to set up bodies. In some ways, that is important. However, as an Executive, if we want to look at being efficient and transforming how we do things, we have to look at the issue in the round. That is an Executive discussion for a bit further down the line, when all Departments have conducted their reviews. <BR /> <BR />All of the bodies have to be relevant. There has to be a strategic relevance in order to have a body in the first place. You have to avoid duplication, maximise efficiency and secure public confidence and independence. I made a point earlier about trust: trust is very important, particularly when it comes to the performance and accountability of some of the bodies.”
“It is important that we get to the bottom of such things and that everybody is efficient, given that we are dealing with limited finances. Ultimately, our objective will clearly always be about having maximum accountability and transparency in public expenditure. Importantly, that is what the public expect us to do.”
“Thank you for that question. To state the obvious, yes, I do. However, more than a decade of Tory austerity, which is being followed through by a Labour Government, has caused huge challenges for our public finances. We see the detriment of that every day across our health system, education system and all public bodies. That is why we have been working to get our finances back on a stable footing and why we must protect the public funds that we have and ensure that they are used to best effect. <BR /> <BR />The reality is that, where that does not happen in our non-departmental public bodies, Ministers will have to take action. I welcome the fact that the Infrastructure Minister, Liz Kimmins, has engaged forensic accountancy services to investigate why NI Water has been unable to live within its resource allocation for this year.”
“We will have to come back to the matter once all Departments have reviewed their arm's-length bodies. Given the unique political context here, it is, at times, vital to maintain independent oversight bodies for the sake of public trust. There are different reasons for having bodies, and there is good work under way to review all of that.”
“You referenced a number of bodies that are within TEO's remit. There are 12 bodies under TEO, some of which we have reviewed. That includes the Commissioner for Survivors of Institutional Childhood Abuse (COSICA). The Strategic Investment Board (SIB) also recently had a review, which we are working our way through. A number of bodies under our remit, including the Historical Institutional Abuse Redress Board, which was established to ensure that payments were made to victims and survivors, will come to an end soon. The redress board will come to an end once all the payments are fully disclosed. The Victims' Payments Board is open until August 2026, and then it will start to wind down. <BR /> <BR />A number of bodies, including a number within our remit, will change.”
“The introduction of a public bodies Bill to facilitate Departments in making any legislative changes will be dependent on the completion of the departmental reviews of their arm's-length bodies and the decision of the Executive to an agreed approach. The timing of any such legislation will be subject to prioritisation by the Executive.”
“Arm's-length bodies, including non-departmental public bodies, are established to deliver public services, provide expert advice or regulate sectors at arm's length from Ministers. Whilst they operate with a degree of independence from Departments, they are accountable to them. Those that fall under the remit of the Executive Office align with TEO's strategic priorities. Departments have been conducting their own reviews of arm's-length bodies, in line with the New Decade, New Approach commitment, as well as their existing sponsorship and governance requirements. The findings of those departmental reviews will inform the next steps.”
“With your permission, Mr Speaker, junior Minister Reilly will take this question.”
“We have a Programme for Government, with nine Executive priorities; we have a delivery unit; we are going to look at digital and AI and the role of all of that; and, for the first time in many's a year, we will have a three-year Budget that will allow better planning into the future. Those building blocks are the right building blocks on which to improve on how we deliver things together. We want to weed out duplication, where it occurs, and we want Departments to complement each other in the work that they are doing. There are opportunities for us to do better in the future.”
“We have a role through the Executive Office delivery unit. That could be a focus through which we might align a lot of the strategies and ensure that everything is looked at in the round. You only have to look at the ending violence against women and girls strategy or the domestic and sexual abuse strategy to see that all those things are cross-cutting by nature, and a lot of them are a result of collaboration across Departments and Ministers. <BR /> <BR />Can we continue to do better, improve and be more efficient in these things? Yes, there is always room for improvement, but we have the right building blocks now.”
“That is something that we are going to continue to prioritise — I am certainly going to continue to prioritise it in my engagements. I raised the issue with the Irish Government last week.”
“Thank you for that. We had a wide-ranging discussion with Keir Starmer on Friday. The deputy First Minister and I raised the funding issue, more generally, of the need for properly funded public services. We made a case strongly, as we do on each occasion. I also raised the issue of Casement Park, once again, and the need for that to be delivered on, given the fact that it is a flagship project of the Executive and one of the stadia still to be built. We look forward to the comprehensive spending review, and I hope that, at that occasion, we will see the commitment that has been made by the British Government being delivered on, so that we can get on with finally building Casement Park and ensuring that it brings all the benefits that it will do to the wider community in west Belfast, to GAA and to sport more generally.”
“Perhaps that will be an opportunity for us to look at all the different strategies that we have to make sure that they are fit for purpose. Every Department will have its own strategies for different reasons. You cited an example of where there are perhaps numerous strategies. There is always an obligation in each Department to ensure that they are fit for purpose and that they do what it says on the tin. <BR /> <BR />I am certainly happy to take away the general point that the Member makes and to see whether there is any opportunity, particularly with digital and transformation, for us to look at the number of strategies that we have across all the Departments.”
“I concur with the Member: we need to ensure that we do everything efficiently, that we align where we can and that we break down the silo mentality that has always existed. There are some really good examples across all the Departments of how to do that, and, obviously, there are lessons to be learned as well. <BR /> <BR />We have made a good start by having a Programme for Government that will be aligned, hopefully, with a three-year Budget. The priorities that have been identified in the Programme for Government will also allow us to be more strategic and aligned. In addition, we have the introduction of the office of AI and digital. We have an opportunity to do things more efficiently and better there.”
“Our officials worked collaboratively on that with all Departments and stakeholders to understand the issues, where there are gaps in provision and, most importantly, how we can improve the experiences of women and girls. <BR /> <BR />We will continue to work closely with the Departments of Justice and Health in aligning our work with that of the domestic and sexual abuse strategy and will work with key partners, such as the PSNI and the councils, to deliver more effectively and efficiently, ensuring that there is no risk of duplication. The collaborative and coordinated approach across Departments and within the Executive, with a priority accorded to innovation and reform in delivery, will continue to ensure that strategies are delivered in a focused and meaningful way.”
“Our focus is on delivering meaningful and impactful strategies that will result in delivery across the community and sectors in need. In developing and delivering our strategies, our work aligns with best practice, including co-design and co-production. <BR /> <BR />The focus in the Programme for Government has reform and transformation of public services at the core of its work, with the new delivery unit at the heart of ensuring that the Executive’s priorities get the focus needed to bring about lasting change and improvement. We have in place an office of AI and digital, which will embrace new technologies and help us to improve efficiency and effectiveness. A tangible example of that is in delivering on the ending violence against women and girls strategic framework.”
“on your special birthday. Do you want to tell us what age you are today?”
“May I concur? Breithlá sona duit, a Cheann Comhairle,”
“I want to work with both Governments, resolve outstanding issues and ensure that all the families get access to truth and justice. It is crucial that whatever is brought forward in the weeks ahead commands the confidence of families, because this is about families. It is about loved ones; it is about grief; it is about healing; and it is about truth and justice. The only way for us to move forward that will command families' confidence is to have article 2-compliant frameworks.”
“As we know, the legacy framework was endorsed in 2014 in the Stormont House Agreement. That is the basis on which to move forward.”
“I welcome the fact that legacy was on the agenda of last week's meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference (BIIC). It is very much for the two Governments to work together on that area. I welcome their joint commitment to establishing legacy institutions that are fully human-rights compliant and within the parameters of the 2014 Stormont House Agreement.”
“They — particularly Bridie, at her age — should not have to endure the indignity and insult of further delays and appeals to the legal process because the British Government are burying their head in the sand and ignoring the reality that the courts have said that the family are entitled to the public inquiry.”
“Thank you for that. I have been at Bridie's side and will continue to be at the family's side. Bridie Brown is such a strong woman and has held herself with grace, courage and dignity. She stood outside the court earlier this month and made a direct plea to the British Government not to have her travel to London. <BR /> <BR />No matter how you look at it, Lady Chief Justice Keegan has been clear that the decision to refuse a public inquiry cannot stand, is unlawful and is in breach of ECHR article 2 obligations. The British Government need to get on and grant the public inquiry. The legal system has said, five times, that that needs to happen. The Brown family have waited for far too long; it is time for them to have truth, justice and accountability.”
“There is a huge opportunity for us here, so I would love to see us unite around the legislation and build a stronger economy in which workers, businesses and our economy can thrive.”
“I want to see the legislation progressed as quickly as possible. As I said, I look forward to the debate in the Assembly, but it is a game-changing possibility. That is how I embrace it. The possibility that the proposals could begin to be rolled out is game-changing. I am sure that there will be differences of opinion, and that is all right: we will have those political debates. I am absolutely committed, however, to working with all Ministers and with colleagues in the Assembly to ensure that that happens and to support the Economy Minister in what she tries to achieve. Cross-party support, endorsing the full implementation of the legislation, would, of course, send a very powerful political message to workers and families.”
“Those proposals and others will genuinely put money into workers' and families' pockets, strengthen their rights, support their families and empower trade unions. As well as benefiting the individual worker, which, ultimately, is what it is all about, the legislation will benefit our business community and the wider economy, supporting them to thrive. That, in essence, is what it is all about: politics making a difference in people's lives. <BR /> <BR />The statement that Caoimhe Archibald, the Economy Minister, will make later today will be a huge, positive step in demonstrating our commitment to delivering for workers, families and communities.”
“The Minister will initiate lots of discussion in the Chamber over the next number of years, particularly in relation to her 'good jobs' employment rights Bill. I look forward to the debate on that Bill. There is no doubt that it is one of the most significant pieces of workers' rights legislation ever to be introduced in the North, so I praise the work of the Economy Minister, Caoimhe Archibald, on progressing it. <BR /> <BR />The legislation will include paid leave for parents whose newborn is admitted to neonatal care. That, to my mind, is compassionate legislation. Other key parts will be ending zero-hours contracts; introducing the right to disconnect from work; and stronger rights for trade unions and their members.”
“I think that it is time to build a better future for everybody who calls this place home, and I encourage the Irish Government and particularly the British Government, with their responsibility for the criteria, to be fulsome and come forward with plans so that we can all understand what we are working to.”
“Yes. My personal view is that it is time to prepare, plan, engage and have the conversations. It is work that clearly both Governments, as co-guarantors of the agreement, need to put their minds to. I would like to have a more formal process where we can all engage around what the potential is, and I believe that there is huge potential. That is why I think that it is time for a citizens' assembly to be called. It is absolutely time for the Irish Government to begin that planning and preparation. My ambition for the people of this island is for an island that is inclusive and welcoming and where people can have their views and identities respected. There is a lot of continuity in the Good Friday Agreement; it is an international agreement that will carry through, so identity is very much protected.”