Justin McNulty
Newry and Armagh · Social Democratic and Labour Party · Northern Ireland
“I thank the Minister for challenging some of the narratives that are peddled in relation to immigration. <BR /> <BR />Minister, what steps are you taking to support community safety partnerships in addressing misinformation on illegal immigration and to help build confidence in how local criminality is being managed?”
“I thank the Minister for her statement. I welcome the progress that has been outlined today on major waterways projects, including the Ulster canal project.”
“Will you commit to throwing your full support and that of your Department behind that effort by backing the establishment of the task force and by working proactively with local councils and partners, including the Department of the Taoiseach's Shared Island unit, to realise finally the enormous economic, tourism and environmental potenti…”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. We have all seen the deterioration of our high streets and streets in our towns and villages with the shift to online shopping. Vacancy and dilapidation are now sadly the norm. Will the review act as a stimulus for businesses on those streets in our towns and villages?”
“Absolutely. The Minister and the Department can never relinquish the reins of proper scrutiny. <BR /> <BR />The reclassification by ONS will mean that all trust ports can borrow, which will allow them the commercial flexibility to invest more in their infrastructure.”
“<BR /> <BR />The trust port model has stood the test of time and has worked well for the North. We can see the economic and social benefits in the local communities around the ports. In 2025, the DFI completed a review of the trust ports in the North to explore how the Department's policy on trust ports could be updated.”
The complete record
Every one of 1,598 lines we hold for Justin McNulty, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 15 of 32.
“I wholeheartedly welcome the opportunity to speak on this important SDLP motion. It will come as no surprise to Members to hear that I am a proud south Armagh man, and why would I not be? South Armagh has some of the most compelling tourism assets in Ireland. It has historic sites that predate the pyramids and a myriad of heritage sites that beautifully and powerfully illustrate the shared tapestry of our history. <BR /> <BR />If you have never been to the top of Slieve Gullion and crawled into the court cairn there, which is the highest surviving court cairn in Ireland, I encourage you to see and experience it. I have made representations to Ministers here saying that I believe firmly that the corbelling of the court cairn should be repaired.”
“I thank the Minister for giving way. Minister, I met your counterpart in the South on various occasions, and he is openly willing to explore cross-border opportunities. He suggested that the impetus must come from the Northern Minister. All-island healthcare makes sense when it comes to sharing resources and expertise, tackling waiting lists and ensuring better health outcomes and efficiencies. The cross-border healthcare directive needs to be reinstated. Centres of excellence make sense. Does the Minister agree that Daisy Hill Hospital is primely positioned to become a centre of excellence and that it should be a hub hospital serving its natural hinterlands of the counties of Armagh, Down, Monaghan, Louth, Cavan and, potentially, even Meath? What does the Minister think?”
“It is crunch time, it is do or die, it is high noon on proceeding with the Casement Park project so that it will be ready for Euro 2028. The redevelopment of Casement Park is a once-in-a-generation opportunity, and it must be seized. It is a huge opportunity for the North, a beacon of hope and reconciliation. What are you, your Department and your Executive colleagues doing to ensure that Casement Park will be delivered in time to host the Euro 2028 games?”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. With regard to the all-island animal health and welfare strategy, was access to veterinary medicines discussed, given that the end of the grace period is coming and the potential implications for animal health and welfare and, by extension, for farmers from the costs associated with those changes?”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. It was good to see that you were at the Armagh Show on Saturday, deputy First Minister, albeit I did not see you as I was too busy running around after a wee fella in the fairground. What is the deputy First Minister's assessment of the requirement for Ministers to step down whilst campaigning to secure election to other legislatures?”
“You demonstrated your pride and joy in your effort and your understanding of the importance of the grind and the strength and importance of teamwork. Whoa, what a race; whoa, what a victory speech. You demonstrated the power of dreaming big, working hard and committing to the process. Well done, Ciara. You have done yourself, your family and Portaferry proud; you have done your club proud; and you have done your country proud. Well done, Ciara. Because of what you have done, hundreds of thousands of little kids will grow up dreaming of being another Ciara Mageean. Unbelievable. Comhghairdeas”
“is not a statement that you would associate with the Olympic Stadium in Rome or the European Athletics Championships, but, oh my God, well done, Ciara Mageean: comhghairdeas, comhghairdeas, comhghairdeas”
“Do you see where opportunities lie there for efficiencies and synergies?”
“Your statement contains one glaring omission, and I say that in as collegial a way as possible. Synergies and better outcomes have been mentioned, but there is no mention of an all-Ireland health service. You talk about a blank map of the North. The North is not an island. Surely you have to explore opportunities on an all-island basis. All-Ireland cancer research has proven what a success it can be, as have cross-border renal facilities. The cross-border health directive needs to be reimplemented. Do you see possibilities whereby a hospital such as Daisy Hill Hospital that may previously have been seen as peripheral can now become a centre of excellence, serving its natural hinterland of the border counties of Armagh, Down, Monaghan, Louth and potentially even north-east Meath?”
“Welcome to the post, Minister. I wish you all the best with it. Go n-éirí an t-ádh leat.”
“Minister, in relation to your answer to the previous question, further research will not cut it in addressing bullying in schools, specifically on social media platforms. We know that children are dying because of bullying behaviours on those platforms. What communications have you and your Department had with those companies to outline their responsibilities, given that their platforms are havens for bullies and bullying behaviours, which are having a devastating impact on the children and young people who are on the receiving end?”
“Minister, it is great to see you back on your feet. I am sure that your recent health scare was a big fright for you and your family. <BR /> <BR />I want to ask about issues around the distribution of flood grants by councils. Loretta Gallagher of Lorsha Design got an initial payment from the council, but it is now trying to get that back off her because not all of her business is on the ground floor. How can such issues on the distribution of the payments be resolved?”
“<BR /> <BR />What has changed between April 2022 and June 2024? It cannot be Tory austerity. The Tories have been on the austerity wagon for more than a decade. It cannot be that they overestimated the money that Stormont had at its disposal, because those parties have been managing Stormont's books for a generation. Mere words are not enough to pull our health service back from the brink. We do not need any more catchy slogans. I am asking for nothing that has not already been promised. All that I ask is for Executive leaders to be true to what they said on paper. We need all promises made to be promises kept. Executive parties must be held to their word.”
“I think today of what the average person must think of this place in light of the damning commentary from our health trusts. Do they feel angry, frightened, betrayed or exasperated with a sense of utter despair? Is it a combination of all those emotions? <BR /> <BR />In the lead-up to the last Assembly election, parties jockeying for power committed themselves forcefully to rescuing the health service. Ambitious and noble plans were a dime a dozen. Amidst assurances that it was time for change and that they would work for all, we were promised an extra £1 billion for Health. At the first hurdle, they fell. One billion pounds extra for Health? Not even close. Such was the weakness of their financial commitment to Health that the Health Minister could not, in good faith, back their Budget.”
“At a constituency level, I have witnessed at first hand, as have other Members, what that means in real terms: degrading and dignity-stripping corridor care becoming the norm; patients waiting for days to receive appropriate treatment; poor souls waiting for months for cancer intervention, knowing that their disease is spreading; and families at their wits' end fighting to secure care packages that increasingly do not exist. <BR /> <BR />It is a scandal that we are at this juncture. It is a scandal that our dysfunctional politics, collapsing Executives, false promises and brazenly mediocre leadership have led us to the point where people may die unnecessarily because of our health service having been starved of resources and deprived of leadership.”
“I rise today against the backdrop of a series of chilling warnings that have been issued by all six health and social care trusts across the North. Our health trusts have not beaten about the bush on their financial outlook. They have made it clear that catastrophic impacts loom large in our very near future. They have spoken of the near inevitability that more hospital beds will be closed and that outpatient care, operating lists and domiciliary care packages will be cut.”
“I offer my sincere condolences to all who knew Fiachra O'Faoláin. My thoughts and condolences are with his family, friends and community. I measc na naomh go raibh sé.”
“Could there be a better way to promote international relations than hosting a global soccer tournament at GAA HQ in west Belfast at a newly developed Casement Park? Will the First Minister and deputy First Minister be putting their shoulders to the wheel to ensure that Casement gets built in time for that tournament?”
“Surely it is more appropriate to recognise that a major contributing factor to staffing shortfalls at hospitals is the atrocious pay and conditions for our health service workers. Surely it would be more appropriate to tackle the crux of the issue, rather than its outworkings. In other words, should we not treat the disease that is ailing our health service as opposed to the symptoms? <BR /> <BR />Pay junior doctors what they deserve. Fair pay now.”
“<BR /> <BR />Calls for courage from elected officials with respect to administration and reform of the health service are well documented, but would it be more appropriate to characterise those demands as calls for conditional courage? In other words, is it appropriate to define the scope of health service reform as being focused entirely upon the reconfiguration and withdrawal of hospital services? The goodwill of professionals who have dedicated their lives to taking care of others should not be taken advantage of as a means of sustaining the health service. That goodwill rightly enjoys all our respect and admiration, but it is crucial to recognise that it is not infinite and should not be taken for granted.”
“There is anecdotal evidence of a trend of a mass exodus of junior doctors and other healthcare staff from hospitals in the North, particularly those in outer areas, such as Altnagelvin Area Hospital, Daisy Hill Hospital and the South West Acute Hospital, to hospitals and health settings in the Republic, where an additional 20-minute commute can result in a doubling of income overnight. How does that interact with the Department's repeated assertion that the inability of trusts to recruit and retain medical staff or specialists at so-called peripheral hospitals is necessitating service reconfiguration and withdrawal?”
“The health service depends on junior doctors. They make enormous sacrifices and hold enormous responsibility, and their pay and working conditions should reflect that. Junior doctors hold our lives in their hands. They sacrifice so much of their own lives and health to safeguard ours. They deserve so much more than their current pay and working conditions. <BR /> <BR />We hear a lot about patient safety. There is a major emphasis on it. It acts to give carte blanche to and justification for the reduction or removal of vital services. What consideration has been given to the safety and welfare of overworked junior doctors, or to how their burnout impacts on overall patient safety?”
“Will the Minister join me in praising the wonderful, compassionate care available in respite facilities, such as Carrickore and Oaklands in my constituency of Newry and Armagh, and recognising what an important lifeline they are for families? Has he given consideration to a regional unit to accommodate the greater demand? Families are often left out on a limb due to scheduled respite being unavailable because of complex cases.”
“Minister, what discussions have you had with the police and the Policing Board about the data breach and on how that might impact on possible ill health retirement? Moreover, how much of the policing budget will be spent on the data breach over the next five years?”
“I know from my own doctors in Newry, Dr McVerry, Dr McGee and Dr Farnon in the Cornmarket surgery. When I visit, the phones are ringing incessantly, machine gun-style. I wonder how on earth they cope with the relentless, incessant pressure. I thank those clinicians and their staff: well done, and keep going.”
“<BR /> <BR />In my efforts to secure a replacement GP in Mullaghbawn, I advocated special incentives to entice an appropriate managing GP to the surgery, but those calls largely fell on deaf ears, with the health authorities seemingly preferring to stick to established policy rather than act innovatively. If we are serious about confronting the challenges in primary care, it is imperative that we recognise that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is the essence of insanity. I add my voice to the calls on the Minister of Health to provide an ambitious vision for growing the primary care workforce. <BR /> <BR />I will finish by paying tribute to the staff and clinicians in GP surgeries who are overwhelmed by the demand.”
“<BR /> <BR />For the Mullaghbawn GP surgery in south Armagh, I particularly welcome the component of the motion that calls for the extension of GP indemnity insurance to the North, in line with arrangements in Britain. The heart of the motion is correct, in that it identifies and seeks to remove the burdens and barriers faced by primary care practitioners. My family's local GP surgery in Mullaghbawn has experienced tremendous difficulty recruiting a managing GP after the departure of the long-standing local doctors in the practice. Dr Deane and Dr Maguire left a lasting legacy of care and compassion for their patients, and they are missed by all, as is their predecessor, Dr Smyth.”
“<BR /> <BR />I have lobbied extensively on the issue, and although there are always unforeseen project issues, I neither understand nor accept that it is reasonable for people in my constituency to wait any longer for a health hub that was promised over 10 years ago. Is it any wonder that the people of Newry, south Armagh and south Down believe that they are always the last to get and the first to lose? I welcome the opportunity to speak to the motion today, but we need to get the basics right. Access to health services is a critical issue for the people whom I represent, and they have a right to expect that promises made will be promises kept.”
“They are often waiting to receive what is essentially primary care because they cannot get an appointment with their GP. <BR /> <BR />I do not for a second blame general practitioners for the crisis in primary care: far from it. GPs and their staff are doing what they can with the resources available to them. Unfortunately, they suffer from poor management and a lack of ambition from the health establishment. Take, for example, the long overdue health hub in my constituency. The development of the hub in Newry was announced in 2013. It was recommended for fast-tracking and was expected to be operational by 2016. Eight years on from that expected opening date, not a single sod has been turned on the site.”
“I support the motion, as well as the amendment from my party, the SDLP. I welcome the opportunity to speak to the motion today. I regularly visit Daisy Hill Hospital to speak with staff and patients in the hospital corridors. I also visit Craigavon Area Hospital, and there the outworkings of the crisis in primary care can be seen plainly at first hand. Far too many people present at accident and emergency departments because they cannot get appointments with their GP, because their GP appointments are delayed, as a consequence of which there are health impacts, or because they have just given up and do not go to see their GP. The health impacts are then exacerbated. Far too many people are lined up head to toe on trolleys and chairs in hospital corridors, waiting for prescriptions to be dispensed.”
“In relation to bypasses, will the Minister provide an update on the progress of the Armagh east and west link roads and when they will be expected to commence on site?”
“— for every aspect of our well-being. How have you worked with other Departments to ensure that that is inculcated through Education, Health, Economy and, obviously, through your Department while avoiding a silo approach?”
“Talking of silos, as somebody from a farming background, it has been a few years since I stood on top of the silage pit, rolled back the polythene, threw the tyres back and graped silage down behind the feeding barrier into the link box. <BR /> <BR />With regard to your silo approach, you mentioned the importance of the food that we produce every day —”
“Can we get some temperature control in here, please?”
“On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. It is getting hot in here. It is a raging disgrace that the Minister of Justice had to fan herself whilst speaking. What is the craic with the thermostat?”
“This Friday is the 50th anniversary of the Dublin/Monaghan car bombings, when four bombs went off indiscriminately and, within 90 minutes, 34 innocents were murdered. My heart goes out to the victims' families, who are still grieving to this day. Can you update us on discussions that you have had with your Southern counterpart about the Dublin/Monaghan bombings and suspected collusion with British security forces?”
“<BR /> <BR />I hope beyond hope that today's announcement and the realisation that Narrow Water bridge is progressing at pace will encourage the Minister to wake up and see the error of his ways. That is my message, and I will not let it go. We have come too far and too many have fought too hard to have that visionary project overshadowed by bureaucratic, small-minded, no-vision nonsense.”
“<BR /> <BR />I must confess, however, that some of my delight is tinged with dismay. I am literally scratching my head at the fact that the forward-thinking nature of the project is being undermined by the short-sighted and ill-guided decision in the same month by a Sinn Féin Infrastructure Minister to cement the decision on a fixed bridge a mere few hundred metres upstream in the estuary. My party's vision for the delivery of a truly North/South project at Narrow Water is being countermanded by the baffling fixed bridge decision on the southern relief road. So much for Sinn Féin's all-Ireland vision, or is that just for posters and echo chambers? I have lobbied extensively for the reversal of that decision, and my colleagues on Newry, Mourne and Down District Council have called on the Minister to see sense.”
“<BR /> <BR />The announcement that the Narrow Water bridge project is definitely happening is extraordinary and transformative news for communities on both sides of Carlingford lough and all those who campaigned for many years to see the vision for that iconic cross-border project realised. I pay tribute to the Irish Government for their commitment to the Narrow Water bridge project. It is worth noting that they are the sole funders of the project and that, under the auspices of the then Taoiseach Micheál Martin's Shared Island unit, they had the foresight and wisdom to facilitate the inclusion of a lifting bridge in order to keep the local maritime history alive and preserve access to the historic Albert Basin and Newry ship canal, which is the oldest shipping canal on these islands.”
“I feel enormous pride at the news of the appointment of a contractor for the Narrow Water bridge project, with work scheduled to commence immediately. First and foremost, I think of the late PJ Bradley, who was an SDLP MLA for South Down and whose vision for a bridge at Narrow Water never wavered. Even when some said that it would never happen and others said that it should not happen, PJ Bradley never lost faith in making that vision a reality. Indeed, after PJ's passing, his daughter Sinéad Bradley, who succeeded him as an MLA, fought tooth and nail to ensure that the Narrow Water bridge project was included in the 'New Decade, New Approach' deal in 2020.”
“Minister, will you be going to the Newry show or the Armagh show? When you attend, will you express some empathy with the agriculture sector, which feels disproportionately targeted by the climate change targets, especially when it witnesses, on a daily basis, the climate burden that global multinational companies such as Amazon place on society, albeit they seem to get off scot-free while all the pressure is heaped onto farmers?”
“How can the deputy First Minister reconcile tackling paramilitarism with the reality that half of the Executive Office, including her party, continue to cheerlead paramilitarism right up to the current day?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Does he agree that a Programme for Government is essentially a prioritised, time-bound to-do list for the governing parties or a road map with a timeline for where they are going and when they will get there? Does he also agree that, without a Programme for Government, the questions for the governing parties are these: who is on the bus; who is driving the bus; and where is the bus going?”
“<BR /> <BR />My call today is simple: honour the pleas of innocent men, women and children. Do the right thing. Demonstrate your humanity. Demonstrate your morality. End the genocide. Call for peace with a collective and united voice.”
“It is critical that we keep sight of our common humanity and resist the urge to allow today to descend into whataboutery and one-upmanship. The words that I quoted were shared with us by three young Palestinians, three living, breathing human beings out of millions who now live with no guarantee of seeing tomorrow. Think about how that feels: millions of people do not know whether they will see tomorrow. <BR /> <BR />Those people love their parents just as much as we love ours. They love their children just as much as we love ours. They yearn for the same things as we yearn for: food, shelter, safety, peace, dignity and the freedom to build a better future for themselves and those around them. It seems obscene to me — it is obscene — that calling for an end to the slaughter of innocents has not yet received universal support.”
“George, at just 24 years of age, implored us to make this plea today:”
“Nicola, aged 31, became a father for the first time last year. His words to Killian cut deep. Nicola said:”
“I want to amplify the words of those people, who do not know whether, tomorrow, they will see dawn or doom and whether, tomorrow, they will see dawn or death. <BR /> <BR />My friend and SDLP colleague Killian Feehan has spent time in Gaza bringing help and aid there over the years. He has built abiding relationships and has reached out to his friends in Palestine over recent days, first, to see whether they are still alive and, secondly, so that they can give a voice to those who are fighting for survival under attack from a genocidal regime. I will share with you the words of Killian's friend, a young woman called Tala. At just 30 years old, Tala has witnessed more destruction and brutality than any of us should see in a hundred lifetimes. This is what Tala said:”
“I support the motion. Other Members have spoken to the facts and the statistics: 100,000 Palestinians dead or injured, 70% of them women and children; and 1·4 million innocent civilians now cornered in Rafah, corralled like cattle. They were told to move south towards Rafah for their own safety, but they are now more vulnerable than ever, with doom and death breathing down their necks. Ultimately, there are no words that any Member can offer today that can comfort the besieged and slaughtered people of Palestine. There are no words that any MLA can offer that will strike at the heart of the horror that the Palestinian people are enduring. Our words are not enough, and that is why I want to use my time today to give ordinary people in Palestine a voice.”
“In the Civil Service office estate, how many buildings are lying derelict and empty? How do they impact on your responsibilities in meeting climate change targets?”