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.”
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“The only party in the Chamber that campaigned for Brexit is the DUP. Can —”
“Will the Minister provide an update on the future funding of T:BUC, given the uncertainties?”
“Joint First Minister, thank you for your statement. I welcome the reference to the summer Olympic Games and the summer Paralympic Games and the commendation of the athletes at those games. They deserve it; they did us proud. However, above commendation, what is the North/South Ministerial Council doing to ensure that all athletes of all abilities have access so that they can participate in and shine in organised sports regularly?”
“What we face now is an epidemic among the unvaccinated. Last week, I was speaking to the chief executive of the Southern Trust, and he told me that 100% of people in ICU in the Southern Trust are unvaccinated: 100%. The unvaccinated are filling our ICUs. They are preventing surgeons conducting cancer operations, preventing specialist surgery teams fulfilling elective surgeries and preventing anaesthetists being available for gall bladder operations, hip replacements and pain-relief operations. How will we, as legislators, ease the pressures on our health service? In my view, it is simple: every measure possible should be adopted to encourage people to get vaccinated in order to ease pressures on our healthcare staff and our hospitals and keep people alive.”
“I express my solidarity with the Health Minister and with the healthcare teams who have faced threats and abuse. Nobody should face threats or abuse while trying to save lives. <BR /> <BR />What is the purpose of the regulations? Are they to keep people safe? Are they to ease pressures on our hospitals and all our healthcare staff, who have given so much and are now at breaking point? If the infection levels continue as they are, we could face a winter of discontent in our health service. The latest vaccination figures that I am aware of indicate that less than 12% of the population is unvaccinated. We have to say, "Well done" to the healthcare teams and volunteers who have ensured that 88% of the population has been vaccinated. That is an enormous achievement. <BR /> <BR />Worryingly, 72% of the people in ICU are unvaccinated.”
“Minister, on that point about giving a child the gift and opportunity to shine, a young boy was fostered by a family who were involved in the local GAA club — Carrickcruppen GFC. That boy was embraced by the GAA club and welcomed into the community. Not alone did the young guy shine but his team shone, the club shone, his family shone and the community shone, all because of the gift and generosity that you spoke of. Well done to Carrickcruppen GFC.”
“Has the Minister considered a child sex offender disclosure scheme similar to Sarah's law, which was rolled out in 2011 in England and Wales?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I applaud him for the important role that he and his wife are playing in society by fostering children. That is of huge importance. <BR /> <BR />Although this is not necessarily directly linked to the Bill, I recognise that there is a crisis in foster care at the moment. Agencies are reaching out to families to see who is available to help a child shine. It is important that we note that a crisis is going on and that we say to families who want to help a child develop and shine to come forward to offer that service to children.”
“On a personal note, my uncle is adopted but we do not think of him as our adopted uncle. We think of him as our Uncle Padraig. He is such a loved member of our family — a wonderful father, an adoring husband and a brilliant example to his children. He is a wonderful part of the community and a Trojan hard worker. I just want to recognise the important role that adoptive parents play in our society and to recognise the pain that families who give up children for adoption go through, probably through no fault of their own but because they have met circumstances in which the child is put up for adoption. I want to recognise that so many adopted children are placed in loving, caring homes and thrive and grow to be wonderful people in their own right.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I want us all to commit to no longer using the term "looked-after children" because it has an unfortunate acronym. I have identified that and addressed it in the Education Committee. It would be more positive for us all to identify those children as being "children looked after" because of the implications of the acronym. Members should all commit to doing that.”
“Does the Member agree that the Tories' policy of austerity is sickening and that it is destroying and creating havoc for families and the most vulnerable in our society? The most sickening part is that three parties in the Assembly — the DUP, Sinn Féin and Alliance — tripped through that Lobby arm in arm and voted to hand over welfare powers for this part of these islands to the Tories? That is disgusting.”
“I thank the Minister for coming to the House and answering questions. There is broad expertise on the panel, and I welcome that. However, I feel that there is no representation from the primary-school or nursery sectors, which are crucial in educating children in their formative years. Is that a concern, Minister?”
“Can the joint DUP and Sinn Féin First Ministers confirm whether there is a legal requirement on the North/South Ministerial Council to sign off on the £1 billion of Peace funding, as detailed by the Finance Minister, that can breathe life into communities that are falling behind because of the pandemic?”
“He has identified how potentially destructive the proliferation of online gambling and of online betting companies' sponsorship of the sport are to young people's lives. As someone who has gone through that experience, he speaks with real authority. Does the Member agree that sponsorship and access to online gambling must be addressed and that the Bill should seek to do that?”
“Will the Member agree that my good friend and former teammate Oisín McConville speaks with enormous power and credibility on the issue?”
“On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I am just checking to see if the purpose of Members' Statements is to allow Sinn Féin and the DUP to get into cahoots and attack the Infrastructure Minister, Nichola Mallon. Are they in cahoots this morning? What is going on?”
“I acknowledge and welcome the fact that all parties have firmly rejected the legacy proposals that were set out in the British Government's Command Paper. As I understand it, over 30 files have been forwarded to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) for consideration, yet there is a lack of resources and, indeed, most worryingly, no dedicated legacy unit. <BR /> <BR />It is unthinkable that the Reavey family would have to suffer more delays. Therefore, I call on the Minister of Justice and the Finance Minister to provide adequate support to the PPS to allow all legacy cases to progress and be finalised and for justice to be done for the Reavey family of Whitecross and all the other families that have been waiting for far too long.”
“I consider Eugene Reavey a friend. He is a man of dignity, shining integrity, steely resolve and fierce determination. He is a pillar of the Whitecross community. His wife, Róisín, taught me in primary 1, and I remember her glowing, shining integrity. She was a gentlelady. His daughter Aíslíng was in my primary-school class. The family is very well respected in the community. <BR /> <BR />At about 6.10 pm on 4 January 1976, three masked men, armed with Sterling sub-machine guns and pistols, burst into the Reavey family home in Whitecross. John, 24, and Brian, 22, were killed outright. Anthony, 17, escaped into a bedroom and later crawled 200 yards to a neighbour's house to raise the alarm. <BR /> <BR />Far too many families like the Reaveys have been waiting for decades for justice.”
“Those boys, their teachers, classmates, community and parents have the right idea. They are doing things right. Those boys allowed Davie to shine. That is the challenge for all of us: to put in place the supports to help every child to shine. Then, as a society, we, in turn, can shine. That is the challenge for all of us.”
“Ms Gilligan said that such kindness and inclusion was not always their experience. Her letter to the principal continued:”
“The role of government should be to remove the obstacles in their way and give them a fair run to let them shine. <BR /> <BR />I started with a heart-warming story, so I will finish with another. I saw this story in 'Armagh I'. It is not only inspirational, it is uplifting. It gives you great hope in humanity. A member of the public recently wrote to the principal of Jonesborough Primary School, Donal Keenan. The letter read:”
“Behind those statistics are children and adults who have shown us for generations that they have limitless potential and an ability to literally change the world — to put a ding in the universe. It is therefore a damning indictment of us all as a society that only 16% of individuals who have autism hold full-time employment. We are not allowing those people to shine. <BR /> <BR />Far too many families feel forgotten and ignored. Too many bureaucratic quagmires impede the ability of people with autism to reach their full potential, to allow them to shine. The demand for autism services is overwhelming. Government needs to ensure proper resourcing to meet the need and ensure that no one falls between the cracks for want of support. Every individual with autism deserves the chance to live up to his or her full potential.”
“On that basis, I welcome the provisions that set out how the Department will make provision for an early intervention service and how the needs of adults with autism will be addressed, particularly in relation to employment, learning, emotional and mental well-being and supported living. The Bill will create the position of autism reviewer, whose responsibility it will be to ensure and monitor the implementation and effectiveness of the autism strategy. It will also bring international best practice to bear on our autism strategies and provide for annual reports on autism funding. <BR /> <BR />Far too often, we view disabilities such as autism through the lens of statistics and numbers.”
“<BR /> <BR />Autism's impacts are far-reaching and impossible to ignore. Just under 5% — one in 22 — of school-age children have an autism diagnosis. Approximately 25% of individuals with autism have an accompanying learning difficulty. Just 16% of autistic adults are in full-time employment, despite individuals with autism having the ability, the skills and the will to be employed. Over 4,000 children are on a waiting list to be assessed. <BR /> <BR />All of us here know the volume of cases that come through our offices from parents who are at their wits' end and are looking for the support that their children not only need but are entitled to. Education is those children's human right.”
“I agree fully. The thrust of the Bill is to allow every child to shine, and I thank and commend the Member for bringing it to the House. My God, were the children on that Sunday morning at St Mark's in Warrenpoint shining, and so were their parents and coaches. They have created such a wonderful environment there, and they do it every Sunday. It is powerful. It is not just players from Warrenpoint who are involved. Players are coming from Burren, Hilltown, Mayobridge and from afar. It is wonderful. <BR /> <BR />I acknowledge Dominic Bradley, my constituency predecessor, for sponsoring the Autism Bill in 2011 and former constituency colleague John Fee, a man of strong principle who was beaten up by local "heroes" to within an inch of his life for having those principles. He was the first Member to bring the issue of autism to the Chamber.”
“Most importantly, the parents told me that the participation in a team environment was lighting up their children's lives. Children who had been non-verbal were starting to talk. My point is that, while the Bill is very much focused on health and education, a necessary element in it is for the Department for Communities to provide support for children to be part of a team and to participate in sport.”
“I will begin with a heart-warming story. A number of months back, a gentleman called Declan Carvill got in touch with me. He said, "Justin, I want you to come down to St Mark's High School in Warrenpoint to see what we are doing", so, a few weeks ago, I went down on a Sunday morning. A training session was commencing for children of all abilities, including children with autism and children with Down's syndrome. It is an understatement to say that it was a joy to behold what was on view there. The camaraderie, the warmth, the teamwork, the enjoyment, the encouragement, the laughter and the smiles on the children's faces were a joy to behold. All the parents were mucking in, the girls' team was coaching, and it was a wonderful experience.”
“What is being done to help and support them?”
“I contend, Mr Deputy Speaker, that what I am saying is related and inextricably linked to the regulations. Our behaviours interconnect with the waiting lists because, as infection rates skyrocket, so too do our waiting lists and so too does the pressure on our health service. Can somebody explain to me why we have waiting lists that are up to 100 times greater than they are in Britain when we have a population that is 30 times smaller? How can we expect our healthcare workers to keep going? How can we keep demanding that they keep going and keep standing up to this pandemic? They are reaching breaking point and we are still going back and asking for more. Can somebody explain to me why our waiting lists keep growing and we are making token gestures to our health service staff, who are at breaking point? They need help and support.”
“<BR /> <BR />Is there anything that we can look at to encourage more people to get vaccinated? I do not know what those incentives might be, but how can we get a higher proportion of society vaccinated and get in line with what is happening in the South? On what is happening in the South, can somebody explain to me why the number of infections here is skyrocketing compared with the South? We are inextricably linked to the South, and we are inextricably linked to Britain. Can somebody explain to me why we have skyrocketing —”
“<BR /> <BR />On the restrictions, we have all been notified about a permanent memorial to all those who have been lost during this pandemic, over 3,300 people. I think that we can all get on board with that. There is no reason for any party to object to that, so let us all get behind a permanent memorial to all of those who have been lost. <BR /> <BR />A disproportionate percentage of HSC staff remain unvaccinated. I am trying to understand that. Minister, maybe you should give us some explanation as to why that is the case. I applaud the HSC staff for their incredible bravery, their incredible resilience and their incredible ability to keep going under so much pressure, and in the face of so much strain, with little support on very many occasions.”
“Just over 18 years ago, the All-Ireland champions rolled in to Casement Park. I was playing full back for Armagh that day. We clawed our way to a win by 0-15 to 0-12, which is testament to the performance by the Antrim team. Anto Finnegan was playing corner back for Antrim that day. To say that he was an honest-to-God footballer and an honest-to-God man is an understatement. It hits hard that a man of his calibre, a man of the same vintage as me, is gone. I have spoken to my teammates about this, and it hits hard, so I can only imagine how hard it hits his family. My sympathies go out to him, to his teammates, to his clubmates and to his community. Thank you for bearing with me on that, Mr Deputy Speaker. I measc na naomh go raibh sé.”
“Minister, I am sure that, with me, you will recognise the amazing work of young Dáithí Mac Gabhann, his father, Máirtín, and his mother, Seph, and his engagement with the likes of the Armagh senior footballers, the Antrim senior footballers and the Antrim senior ladies footballers in raising awareness of this important issue. Through their engagement, they have worked to get the issue brought to the Floor of the House, and they are saving lives. It is important to recognise the bravery and engagement of young Dáithí and the family.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. Will he make a commitment to set a legally binding target to halt species decline here by 2030, in line with the recent G7 commitment to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030?”
“I welcome the fact that legislation is being progressed through the Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) Bill. Anything that can be done must be done to protect the safety of children and young people online. I am, however, concerned about the exceptions for "mere conduits" and for caching or storage by internet providers in new section 5(9). Is that insertion proportionate? Is there a risk that that will remove the onus on the service providers, the Facebooks, Tik Toks and Instagrams of this world, to police the content on their platforms and will be a sort of "Get out of jail free" card for those providers?”
“Thank you for that clarification. I maintain that I was not being rude. Apologies for that, Mr Speaker. <BR /> <BR />Will the Member agree that teachers, pupils and staff want consistency, clarity and guidance; adequate resources and support; access to testing when and where it is needed; and the ability to continue safely with their education?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. <BR /> <BR />First, it is not rude for me to be persistent about representing the concerns of my constituents. Secondly —.”
“To add insult to injury, any feeble supports that have been offered to schools have been inaccessible.”
“Another critical issue at play here is the unavailability of teaching and support staff. That has been exacerbated by the GTCNI registration debacle. That has caused enormous problems in relation to not just teaching staff but classroom assistants and all the staffing mechanisms in the school, including cooks, chefs etc. I know that that is not necessarily a GTCNI function, but resource is a major issue there in terms of access to staff. <BR /> <BR />One principal described her day on Monday as being a "day from hell". Her entire energy was focused on contact tracing. The lack of leadership on show from the Department has been typified by the laissez-faire approach to these critical issues and is posing a clear threat to the long-term education of our children and young people.”
“Why did the Minister and her Department not take every step possible to provide the necessary strategic leadership and adequate administrative resourcing to ensure that, rather than serving as COVID administrators, schools could actually focus their energy on being educators?”
“<BR /> <BR />Many educators are having the entirety of their working day, indeed their evenings and weekends, consumed by directing the administration of COVID cases, close contacts and issues with testing at their schools. I welcome the belated move to allow the PHA to now take control of contact tracing, but there is still an enormous administrative burden in switching that across. That does not just happen by flicking a switch. <BR /> <BR />School communities have been left to fend for themselves without adequate resources or proper leadership from the Department. We have been in the grips of COVID for 18 months now, so the question has to be asked: why on earth did the Minister and her Department not anticipate these challenges coming down the tracks?”
“<BR /> <BR />When challenged yesterday at the Education Committee on these guidelines and their efficacy, departmental officials were reluctant to offer clear guidance because they did not want to speak as to what the health experts might say. If senior government officials are unable to provide clear insight into these issues, how are school principals expected to do so? In fact, when pressed, one departmental official said that updates in guidance in relation to testing was being tweeted out, I think sent to schools at the end of the summer, and was sent through the normal channels. That, to me, does not seem normal. In these extraordinary and unprecedented times, that seems to me to be bizarre.”
“<BR /> <BR />Schools principals also told me that there are a huge number of instances in which staff are testing negative after the day two PCR test and testing positive on day eight, thus plunging the school community into deeper chaos. As I said, some children are being forced to miss more school than they would if they had to isolate for only 10 days. <BR /> <BR />Principals cannot understand how teachers can teach a class in the classroom and simultaneously teach a class remotely. It is just an impossibility. Principals, teachers and parents are worried about having someone who has received a positive PCR test at home while their sibling or siblings are able to go to school. How can that stand up to scrutiny or make sense?”
“The Member makes a valid point. That issue does create further chaos because, instead of having to isolate for 10 days, some pupils may actually end up having to isolate for 30 days because of that system. <BR /> <BR />Although some pupils are checking on their mobile phones as soon as they have been sent home to try to get a PCR test, they find that they can only access a PCR test in Enniskillen or even Wales in some instances. The lateral flow tests are not being accepted as an appropriate mechanism for establishing COVID-positive status, and principals are a bit confused as to why they cannot be utilised more readily. However, they are not laboratory tests, so are not as reliable as the PCR tests.”
“<BR /> <BR />There is a critical issue with the supply of and access to PCR tests.”
“Our education system has been plunged into chaos, and schools feel that they have been totally abandoned by the Education Minister and her Department. I am stunned not only by the lack of leadership on display but by the abdication of responsibility that has been demonstrated by those in positions of leadership. <BR /> <BR />A key area of contention has been the testing guidelines issued by the Department for the new academic year. Last year, those who tested positive, as well as those who were close contacts, were required to isolate for 10 days. This year, those close contacts can return to school if they provide a negative PCR test after two days, with an expectation that they will take another PCR test on day eight. School principals have raised many concerns in relation to this guidance.”
“I want to begin by recognising that we are 20 years on from that terrible day on 11 September 2001, when terrorists flew jetliners into the Twin Towers in downtown Manhattan and into the Pentagon. We all know someone, or someone whose auntie or nephew or cousin, who died on that fateful day. I want to offer my sympathies of the families of the more than 3,000 people who lost their lives on that terrible day. Go raibh solas na bhFlaitheas orthu. <BR /> <BR />This week, 18 months since the onset of the pandemic, I spoke to a number of principals across my constituency, in mainstream and special schools. Those conversations highlighted and reinforced the challenges, concerns and fears of our school leaders.”
“Does the Member agree that the British Government's proposals deny support, remorse, truth and justice to families: the Reavey family in Whitecross; the families of the Kingsmill massacre victims; Majella O'Hare's family on the Ballymoyer Road; Patrick Kerr's family; and the families of Philip Allen and Damien Trainor, who were shot dead in Poyntzpass as they sat and drank as friends in Canavan's bar. The proposals by the British Government deny those families support, remorse, truth and justice.”
“My sister lives in a farmhouse on the Cooley peninsula, not far from another farmhouse where Tom Oliver, an innocent farmer, was abducted in the darkness of the night by the shadowy figures of the IRA. They then tortured him, pulled out his fingernails, murdered him and dumped his body by the side of the road, not far from my home. I remember the sudden shock and sadness of the morning when Tom Oliver's body was found dumped by the side of the road by the shadowy figures of the IRA not far from my home. Does the Member agree that Tom Oliver's family would be denied justice, given the new DNA evidence available, as a consequence of the proposal by the British Government?”
“Does the Member agree that the British Government's Command Paper in its current form will serve only to expunge any remaining vestige of their benevolence, destroy the people's confidence in the integrity of the London Government and eliminate access to justice for victims and survivors and their families?”