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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“In the vein of the conversation that we had earlier, there is no joint office opinion on the issue. I very much welcome his intervention, however; it is a very helpful intervention. I wish that more people had the maturity and ability to enter into the conversation and embrace it in a way where we could have one objective to make everybody's life better. That is the prize for us all in what we can achieve here going forward. I do not see any contradiction whatsoever between being able to govern on a day-to-day basis for our public services and trying to better people's lives whilst also having that conversation. I think that it is happening organically. For me, it is about much more than sticking the North onto the South. For me, it is about the unity of people and about building a better future for everybody.”
“I concur with the Member in calling out those people who are responsible for intimidating communities and trying to claim space within communities by erecting flags, symbols and emblems. That is not acceptable. I am determined to build a better future for everybody, and that includes tackling some of those issues that have not been tackled to date. There is a difference in approach from what has been done before with the Flags, Identity, Culture and Tradition report. However, we now have an opportunity, with it being looked at in the round with the other areas of work, to maybe advance it and do something about what comes next. I look forward to engaging with the Member on the topic as we move forward.”
“Our peace is an ongoing process. I am committed to doing that through our good relations work, our ending violence against women and girls strategy and our work to end and tackle paramilitarism. All those things are interlinked, and looking at them in silos would do a disservice to our community.”
“They are two elements of the same thing for sure, given the conversation that we have just had about how unacceptable it is that paramilitaries still exist. Everybody should use their elected office to call it out for what it is and tell them to desist. If we are going to build a more inclusive society, we have to continue to work at that. <BR /> <BR />I am struck by the fact that, given the day that is in it and the commentary that we heard about how Pope Francis remarked that we had achieved so much in 25 years, we still have a journey to go.”
“I have not pledged support for anybody's interlocutor; I have acknowledged that they are moving to that juncture. I have been clear in saying that those groups should not exist. They should not be given financial reward to leave the stage. They should just cease to exist. People should not engage with them on that basis, but the Irish Government and British Government will have to stand over any interlocutor that they appoint. I certainly will not have any hand or part in it.”
“Yes, I absolutely can. It was absolutely disgraceful. Dissident republican groups or any such group should not exist. They should leave the stage. We are here because we are trying to build a shared and inclusive society. That is the work that we are all committed to doing. The scenes that we witnessed in Derry were an absolute disgrace.”
“However, I absolutely concur: there should be value for money all day long.”
“I have no idea of what star rating of hotel I have stayed in. I do not interfere in any of that business. Somebody in our office will do the logistics, and that is fine. <BR /> <BR />I will say that I am very conscious of being prudent with public money. When Ministers have a job to do — they have a job to do to travel the world, sell our wares and create investment here — it is important that we do not just reach for the headline. You are absolutely right: value for money should be top of the agenda. That is certainly a principle that I adhere to in any of the travelling that I do, and I travel with only one objective, which is to better this place, better people's lives, increase the opportunities for investment, create jobs and ensure that we drum up business by telling people that we are very much open for business. That is important.”
“Yes, I know you do. That is why you signed the letter that we sent collectively to the British Government when we first formed the Executive. Austerity has hurt us badly. We are dealing with a difficult financial climate as a direct result, and we continue to do so under the new Labour Government. <BR /> <BR />People should always be very prudent with public money. Everything needs to be value for money. It needs to be proofed, and you need to be able to stand over every decision that is taken. I do not seek out five-star hotels. I do not seek to waste public money.”
“There are two points that I would like to make about what you have just said. First, austerity is a real thing. Austerity has happened.”
“I look forward to getting to the point where, after the interviews that are to be held over the summer, hopefully, we will be able to appoint. It has taken a bit of time to get here, but I am glad that we are at this juncture.”
“Yes. As I said, the competitions to recruit the commissioners launched on 10 March and closed on 28 March. I am pleased to say that two of the panels have already completed their sift of applications: on 11 April for the Irish language commissioner and on 16 April for the Ulster-Scots and British tradition commissioner, with the first panel for the Office of Identity and Cultural Expression due to complete on 9 May. We are making good progress. <BR /> <BR />The Irish language proficiency assessment is planned to take place on 6 May. It is anticipated that the presentation and interview stage will be carried out on 20 June. For the Ulster-Scots and Ulster-British tradition commissioner, it is anticipated that the presentation and interview stage will take place on 5 June.”
“In line with the requirements of the Identity and Language Act 2022, we are jointly responsible for the appointment of the Irish language commissioner, the commissioner for Ulster Scots and the Ulster-British tradition and the director and members of the board of the Office of Identity and Cultural Expression. We are committed to establishing the three new bodies and to making the appointments as soon as possible. We are very pleased to announce that the competitions launched on 10 March and closed on 28 March. It is anticipated that interviews will take place over the summer.”
“<BR /> <BR />The best thing that we could all do is work together, plan and prepare and have the maturity to debate what the health service would look like, what education would look like, how we can better people's lives, how we can improve people's standard of living and how we can grow our economy. That is the conversation that I want us to have. It is increasingly happening organically anyway, but, obviously, we want to see more of it in the time ahead.”
“Yes. As I said in my previous answer, there is no agreement in the Executive Office on the issue. I have also read that report and very much welcome more such reports coming into the public, which in itself encourages conversation and creates an opportunity for people to have hard data on what that looks like and the benefits of unity across the island. The report highlights the folly of partition and how it has failed every citizen who lives here. I very much welcome the report that has been published and look forward to more and more people engaging on the topic as we move through the weeks, months and years ahead.”
“It is more a question of why you are so surprised that there is no agreement on that issue in this office. It is no secret to anybody that I am an Irish republican who wants to unite the people of the island. It is also no secret to anybody that the deputy First Minister is a unionist who wants to maintain the link to the Union. That adds complexity to the office that we inhabit. <BR /> <BR />I have personal views on constitutional change. I think that we will all be better served by Irish unity, uniting the people of the island, ending the divisions of the past and creating a more inclusive society and a more prosperous economy. I encourage the Member to use his energy to work with me to achieve that as opposed to making silly points that are far from reality, because there will not be agreement in this office on the issue.”
“There is no joint agreement on the issue.”
“We will have to try to work our way through it, particularly around rules of origin, and minimise any barriers to trade. I do not want to see barriers to trade for anybody. I want our economy to grow, jobs to be created — well-paid jobs — and people to have money in their pockets. We will do everything that we can to ensure that that is the case.”
“I agree with you absolutely. We should all work towards a situation where there are no barriers to trade across these islands, on this island and between our islands. That is where we should all aim to be, and we have highlighted that in every meeting and conversation that we have had. In May, we have a bilateral with Keir Starmer — I cannot remember the title of the meeting — when we will have another opportunity to highlight the particular challenges here because we have the Windsor framework and an added layer of complexity.”
“You can see the growth of the all-island economy over recent years, and we want that to continue. I want to see free-flowing trade across these islands without barriers and interruptions so that our businesses, our economy and our people can flourish. We will continue to work as we navigate through this period dominated by uncertainty.”
“Thanks. We all witnessed the shock waves that arose as a direct result of the tariff announcements, which have created much uncertainty and concern. Businesses are struggling, and they find themselves back in the situation of not knowing what is going to happen next. One thing that businesses dislike more than anything is uncertainty because it makes it very difficult to plan. <BR /> <BR />Throughout this crisis, the deputy First Minister, Caoimhe as the Economy Minister and I have engaged directly at Prime Minister level, Tánaiste level and Secretary of State level. We will continue to ensure that the voice of our local economy is heard. I take the Member's point about the all-island economy and the need to ensure that we have frictionless trade.”
“That is something that the Economy Minister also raised with her counterpart. We do not know where this is going to end, but, if we find ourselves in a position at the end of this whereby, for example, you have to apply for the reimbursement, that needs to be simplified. They need to make it easy. Businesses cannot wait for three months to get that money back, so we need to find a way. That is what we have encouraged to happen in all our conversations; namely that, if we get to that juncture, it needs to be a simplified process whereby businesses can trade without barriers or, at least, with limited barriers. The point that the Member makes is one that we have already recognised and taken on board.”
“OK — and that it will bring forward an economic package that protects our international competitiveness.”
“She asked for a properly resourced advice service for local businesses because there is so much uncertainty. People are anxious, and they need to understand how the tariffs affect them. She held a round table with businesses here to understand their implications and to advance that conversation with the Governments. <BR /> <BR />The fourth thing is to improve existing trading initiatives such as the reimbursement and labour schemes —”
“To be clear to the Member, I will tell her that the Economy Minister has advised that she has set out five key asks, because we have a particular circumstance here that needs to be recognised, and we have made that point. We are going to go back to that when the 90-day pause comes to an end. When we get back to the conversations leading up to that, we have asked that they keep our unique circumstances in mind. That is to the fore of all the conversations that are had, and we made that case to the British Government and the Irish Government. That is in relation to any negotiation about what might happen next and any countermeasure that may be brought forward. Caoimhe has also asked for the Governments to act in concert to minimise any divergence between Britain and the EU.”
“The question was more of a general question. Let me be clear: tariffs will serve none of us well. They are bad for business and create uncertainty. They can lead to so much uncertainty that we could end up with a hike in inflation. It is therefore not a good scenario for anybody. What is important right now is diplomacy, conversation and identifying our local priorities. Working with the Economy Minister, we have done so. We also continue to engage with the British Government and the Government in Dublin, and we have had such engagement over the past number of weeks. Unfortunately for us, international trade remains a reserved matter, so we need to continue to engage with Jonathan Reynolds, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, to work out a strategy as far as one is possible.”
“Any actions that create barriers to trade with that significant market are always going to be unwelcome. We have therefore been working closely with our Economy Minister to understand what the announcements mean for businesses here, and, as international trade is a reserved matter, we continue to engage at political and official level to ensure that our economy and businesses here are protected as far as is possible. We also continue to engage with the Irish Government.”
“With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will answer questions 5 and 13 together. The announcements that the US Administration made on 2 April set significant tariffs on goods entering the US market from over 60 countries and included 20% tariffs on EU goods and 10% on UK goods. Although President Trump has since announced a 90-day pause for countries hit by higher US tariffs, the measures have sent shock waves through the international economy, creating concern and a lot of uncertainty for businesses and Governments worldwide. <BR /> <BR />We have concentrated on building a globally competitive and outwardly focused economy. The US is an important trading partner for us. In 2024, alone, we exported £1·7 billion of goods to the US and imported £750 million of goods.”
“With your permission, Mr Speaker, junior Minister Reilly will answer the question.”
“It is not just one area of work; we have identified a range of areas of work. The interim public-sector transformation board is already established. It is a non-statutory independent body, the primary role of which will be to advise and make recommendations on how to utilise funding that has been ring-fenced for transformation. A sustainability plan has been agreed by the Executive, and, recently, as part of the reform package, Minister O'Dowd announced £129 million for six transformation projects. We hope to make further announcements on that very soon. We have established a delivery unit in our Department. You can see that there is a transformation and reform package that will bear dividends over the weeks and months ahead. In addition, there is the work on how AI can be used and harnessed more, another area on which we are focused.”
“If that model of testing works, I would like us to pick it up and run with it. There is an openness on our part to engage and to continue to listen to those that provide services on the ground, because, ultimately, they are best placed to give us advice on how things are or are not working.”
“We will continue to work with the sector — that is vital. We have to have open communication, because the sector can help us so much in what we want to achieve, particularly when it comes to the transformation agenda and doing things better. I will certainly continue to work with NICVA as the representative organisation and with many others. You have only to look at what is delivered by the voluntary and community sector across a raft of services. Sure Start is a great example of the community and voluntary sector working with the Department, as is the work in the health improvement area. In our Department, we have introduced a pilot programme that is about collaboration test-and-learn pilots to explore how we can better place collaborative working between Departments and the community and voluntary sector.”
“<BR /> <BR />Looking forward, particularly given the challenging fiscal climate that we face, we need to continue to learn from what works well and replicate and do more of it, working in tandem with the community and voluntary sector on how we can better design public services. I am certainly up for having that conversation.”
“As I said, we can all attest to the value of the community and voluntary sector in our constituencies. It is very much the lifeblood of our local communities, and the work that it does on the ground day to day really makes a difference to people's lives. I concur with the Member and commend the work of our community and voluntary sector. I see it every day in my constituency. I see what is done at a local level, whether it is through the GAA or other sporting organisations, community groups or residents' associations. There are so many charities out there. There are senior citizens' groups and groups that work with our migrant and newcomer communities. There is so much to be appreciative of in our society. All of that helps to build a better and more wholesome society for us all.”
“We have had no specific conversations about that measurement piece, but it makes good sense. Having established our delivery unit and as we move to transforming public services, we have to open our eyes to the things that work well in society. Often, from my experience — it sounds as though it is also your experience — the community and voluntary sector provides services that would cost an awful lot more, if they were brought back into the control of Departments. If we can find ways to ensure that we properly capture what the community and voluntary sector does for what we invest, we can perhaps ramp that up where it works best. Certainly, I can take that away, and we can discuss it as we advance our delivery unit's work even further.”
“The reform and transformation of our public services is an Executive priority, as laid out in the Programme for Government. The voluntary and community sector is, obviously, a key partner in helping to address the challenges facing our public services here. Our officials regularly engage with the sector in the planning and delivery of our priorities, and we would expect other Departments to do likewise. We have also been very clear that we want to achieve delivery, which will require collaboration with our key stakeholders, including the community and voluntary sector, which has a vital role to play in all of the work that we drive forward.”
“It intends to publish that guidance by the end of this year and then publish an assessment of how the providers have responded to the recommendations. It will do that in the first half of 2027, which will be about 18 months after publication. Hopefully, we will then start to see positive changes.”
“As I said, our junior Ministers met Ofcom in the past number of weeks to chat about the work that they are doing around the strategy and what that looks like. Ofcom has set out three objectives — they are very much geared towards online providers — for what, it hopes, the draft guidance will achieve: to give providers a detailed and holistic framework for understanding harms to women and girls online; to set out practical, ambitious steps that providers can take to secure women and girls' safety online; and to encourage service providers to take action to achieve a safer online environment for women and girls. It has set out nine actions that, essentially, say to technology firms, "This is what you must do", and we all can then hold them to account.”
“Only by speaking out and highlighting the issues can we make the difference that, I am sure, we all want to see in our society.”
“It has very much listened to and engaged with youth panels across the North to give them a voice in the work that we develop to respond to this societal issue. We have also established youth reference groups, which will be crucial. The Commissioner for Children and Young People, the Secondary Students' Union, the Youth Forum, Girlguiding Ulster and a raft of young people's groups are coming together to help to shape the strategy. The Member may have seen the Power to Change campaign. Young people were very engaged with that and helped us to devise that work. <BR /> <BR />Collaboration will be key. For my part, I will continue to engage with young people and others to amplify their voice and empower our young people to speak up.”
“Thank you for that. You are absolutely right that it requires that whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach if we are to end the scourge of violence and misogyny towards women and girls, whether that be online, at work, in school or at home. We all have to continue to do everything that we can. <BR /> <BR />We need to make space to ensure that the voices of our young people in particular are heard. Today's world, in which young people are growing up, is complex: things are very different from when I was growing up. I very much value our strategy team's work with the Education Authority (EA) and the youth engagement team over the past two years to build that wider societal approach.”
“We await the Equality Commission's ruling and guidance, because that will be important for everybody in how we respond to this in a wider way when it comes to any relevant issue. I encourage a bit of sensitivity in the Chamber. I encourage people to work towards an inclusive society. I encourage us all to demonstrate some compassion for the LGBTQ community right now.”
“First, I have said this to the Member before and will repeat it: we need to be very sensitive about these issues. They are complex issues, and we need to work our way through the outworking of the Supreme Court ruling. We are all aware of the headline — you have just spoken about it in the Chamber — but you forgot to acknowledge any sensitivity around the issue at all, particularly for our trans community, who are feeling quite attacked right now and are feeling under attack in their own community and society. Let us be mindful of that. <BR /> <BR />Let us work our way through the ruling from the Supreme Court, which does not cover here, because it refers to the Equality Act 2010. We have sought advice from our officials.”
“No, I think that we all need to work together. It is a societal problem that we have to address together. The Member might be aware that Ofcom is consulting on draft guidance that sets out nine areas where tech firms should do more to impose online safety. That is the right way in which we need to engage with the issue. As I said, our junior Ministers met Ofcom recently and discussed these very issues, so I suspect that we will hear a lot more about that in the coming weeks and months. It is really important that we have that strategy in place, and I am glad that that was one of the first strategies that we were able to publish. We will all very much welcome the Ofcom draft guidance.”
“That includes the Power to Change campaign, which we jointly launched with the PSNI and the Department of Justice earlier this year. It includes targeted messaging on social media that urges men and boys to help play their part in effecting a cultural and societal shift.”
“The online environment is becoming increasingly unsafe for women and girls. Online abuse normalises harmful behaviour and can have long-lasting impacts. The ending violence against women and girls strategic framework recognises the need to address online harm. We are continuing to work with partners to address all forms of violence, abuse and harm experienced online. Ofcom has responsibilities for addressing harms to women and girls online, and junior Ministers recently met Ofcom officials to discuss their work and their ongoing plans to help protect everyone online, including women and girls. <BR /> <BR />A number of social action initiatives have sought to harness the power of social media to change attitudes and to tackle violence against women and girls.”
“He denounced the rise of political extremism and the dehumanisation of migrants, and, in recent years, he emerged as one of the most vocal moral authorities condemning the ongoing war in Gaza, calling for an immediate ceasefire, the protection of civilians and access to humanitarian aid. He challenged the indifference of the global community and reminded us that peace is not passive but must be pursued with courage and conscience. <BR /> <BR />Pope Francis will be remembered as a spiritual leader, a unifier and a man of deep moral conviction. He certainly practised what he preached. He lived simply, led humbly and never stopped advocating for the dignity of all people. His legacy is one of compassion, courage and hope, and his loss will be felt profoundly here in Ireland and across the world. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.”
“He challenged the Church and society to do more: to listen, to protect and to heal. He also spoke passionately in support of the peace process on this island. He expressed his hope that we would overcome every remaining obstacle and give birth to a future of harmony, reconciliation and mutual trust. <BR /> <BR />Those words continue to resonate today. They serve as a reminder of the work that remains in building a shared, united and peaceful society for all. Throughout his papacy, Pope Francis was a progressive voice on many global and social issues. He spoke with compassion on LGBTQ rights, calling for respect and inclusion.”
“He spoke in defence of the downtrodden and the displaced and was never afraid to challenge those in power. <BR /> <BR />Here in Ireland, many hold a deep and enduring reverence for the papacy, but, for Pope Francis in particular, there was a special affection. That bond was made all the more evident during his pastoral visit to Ireland in 2018 as part of the World Meeting of Families. Tens of thousands travelled to see him, and, for many, his visit remains a cherished moment of connection and inspiration. During the visit, Pope Francis met the survivors of clerical sexual abuse. He listened to their pain and publicly acknowledged the institutional failure of the Church and the grave errors and repugnant crimes committed within it. His words were both a reckoning and a call to action.”
“He led the Catholic Church through a period of great change, challenge and renewal and did so with grace, integrity and a powerful sense of compassion for all people, particularly the poor and marginalised. He was a Pope of firsts: the first Jesuit to be elected to the papacy, the first Pope from the Americas, the first from the southern hemisphere and the first to take the name Francis, inspired by Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of the poor. Those firsts were not only symbolic; they reflected his vision of a Church that should walk alongside those on the margins and speak with honesty and courage to the challenges of our time. He once described himself as a man from the periphery, and, in many ways, that is how he led. He was the voice of the voiceless in a world increasingly defined by inequality, division and conflict.”