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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“Her aunts Anne and Marie are with us today in the Public Gallery. Her husband, Fergal, and sons Manus, Tomás and Donal are watching from home. We owe it to them and to every patient in the North who is living with blood cancer to act. <BR /> <BR />Since the NHS commissioned CAR T-cell therapy in 2019, 70 patients from the North have had to travel to England or Scotland. That is the worst-case scenario: gravely ill people being uprooted, separated from their families and support structures and burdened with needless travel while our health service pays over the odds for care that could be delivered here. Upstairs at our meeting earlier, one of the family members told me that the loneliness is devastating. <BR /> <BR />There is a better way.”
“I do so to remember and honour the life of Catherine Sherry, a young mother from south Armagh who tragically passed away whilst receiving CAR T-cell therapy for lymphoma in King's College Hospital, London. Catherine's story is heartbreaking. At her sickest and most vulnerable, Catherine was forced to travel hundreds of miles from her home, separated from her loved ones, to access the treatment that she needed. Her family endured the anguish of distance when what they needed most was to be together. While she was in hospital in London, Catherine rang home every day and sang 'You Are My Sunshine' to her sons. <BR /> <BR />Catherine was small in stature, but, by God, she was big in fight. I pay tribute to her extraordinary strength and bravery. Her family, even in their grief, have campaigned tirelessly.”
“Twenty-three years ago today, Armagh won the All-Ireland for the first time. I say that because, on 18 May, I stood in St Killian's, Whitecross, after the funeral celebration for Catherine Sherry, who was buried in St Teresa's, Tullyherron, and her mummy told me that the last message that Catherine sent to her on the day before she died — 11 May, the day of the Ulster final — was "Come on, Armagh". In December 2024, Paul Duggan of the Armagh county board arranged for me to take the Sam Maguire Cup to Catherine's home, as Armagh were reigning All-Ireland champions again. It was a powerfully poignant and sad time but a very cheerful time as well. It gave the family hope and a huge sense of joy that Sam was in their home and with their family. <BR /> <BR />It is therefore with a sense of sadness and duty that I speak to the motion.”
“On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. There was a very important question for urgent oral answer to the Minister of Health earlier about an IT outage in the Southern Health and Social Care Trust. I had an important question to ask the Minister, but I was not afforded the opportunity to do so. Will the Deputy Speaker give me clarity as to why that was the case?”
“The message today must be clear: no more excuses or prevarication. The A5 scheme must begin construction before the end of the mandate. Lives literally depend on it. <BR /> <BR />People in the north-west have waited too long. Families have endured too much heartache. Businesses have been disadvantaged for too many years. It is not just about a road; it is about fairness. It is about safety and delivering on commitments that should have been honoured long ago. It is time for the Sinn Féin/DUP-led Executive to stop dithering and failing and to finally deliver the A5 western transport corridor (WTC). Enough is enough.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Ulster Unionist Party's amendment at least recognises the need for fairness for landowners and the urgency of road safety, but it, too, fails the real test of accountability. It shifts the focus from where it should be: the repeated failures of Sinn Féin Ministers and their Executive. For that reason, we will oppose it as well. <BR /> <BR />We should not have been in this position in the first place. If Ministers had acted on the warnings that were given to them and ensured that the scheme was legally sound, we would not be here debating yet another delay. We in the Assembly have a duty to the people whom we represent. The Executive must finally make good on their long-overdue promises. Communities in the west deserve the same level of infrastructure investment as has been taken for granted elsewhere.”
“The problem is not the law but Sinn Féin's failure to integrate environmental requirements into the design and procurement of the scheme. Even if Minister Poots's original 82% target had stood, the A5 project would still have collapsed because the problem was not the numbers in legislation but the sheer ineptitude of Sinn Féin Ministers. Is it true that there was no accommodation or requirement in the tender process or tender documents for recycled materials to be included in the A5 construction project? Who is responsible for that oversight? The people of the north-west can and must be safe and have modern infrastructure and clean air to breathe. The DUP amendment is a diversion, and we will oppose it.”
“However, they should not have to beg for action year after year. Government should have delivered the project by now. Those people should not have had to bury more sons and daughters and mothers and fathers while Ministers passed the buck. <BR /> <BR />Sinn Féin's amendment is about themselves alone and about clapping themselves on the back, really. It attempts to absolve them of responsibility and to rewrite history. However, we know the truth: Sinn Féin ignored the Planning Appeals Commission's recommendation. They left the scheme legally vulnerable, and their responsibility for the scheme's collapse has been denied. The amendment is a whitewash, and, therefore, we oppose it. <BR /> <BR />The DUP's amendment blames the Climate Change Act, but that Act did not cause the failure.”
“The truth is that communities in the north-west have waited far too long. They have faced delay after delay, legal challenge after legal challenge and excuse after excuse from Ministers and their Executive parties. The Public Accounts Committee warned years ago that the scheme needed to be legally watertight. Those warnings were ignored, and now, yet again, the project is stalled in the courts because Ministers failed to do the groundwork properly. That is unacceptable. It is about more than just bureaucratic incompetence; it has real, human consequences. Every delay risks more lives. <BR /> <BR />I pay tribute to the families who have lost loved ones along the road and to the A5 Enough is Enough campaign. Their determination, courage and dignity has kept the issue at the top of the political agenda. I say this to them: keep going.”
“Communities and families across the north-west have been told time and again that the A5 scheme will be delivered, that it will transform connectivity, that it will unlock economic potential and, crucially, that it will make a dangerous stretch of road safer for all who use it, yet here we are, years on, with not a sod having been turned and more families left to grieve loved ones whose lives have tragically been lost on that treacherous road. My heart goes out to every grieving family.”
“How can you explain that? How can that be?”
“What is the First Minister's assessment of the sad reality that many victims who suffered so-called punishment beatings and punishment attacks with cudgels with nails driven through them or baseball bats or punishment shootings by the IRA in their own homes — often in front of their wives and children — do not qualify for the scheme?”
“The Minister may have answered some of my question. There is an expectation of regulation, enforcement and adherence to reasonable standards from social media companies, in particular. What discussions has the Minister had with the technology firms, particularly international firms, about improving their inadequate response to the posting of explicit deepfake images on social media?”
“It is OK. Clause 13 is titled "Supplementary, incidental, consequential, transitional provision etc.". It is OK. Clause 14 is OK. Clause 15 is OK. I think that clause 15 is the Minister's favourite clause. <BR /> <BR />If Members will bear with me, I have a few other pointers. NI Water has to be flexible in its approach to SuDS and adopt new technologies. Those need to be approved via the planning approval process prior to the article 161 application stage. Are the Department, NI Water and planning services on the same page? NI Water's 'Sewers for Adoption' needs updated, as it was last revised in 2010. <BR /> <BR />I am supportive of the Bill's proposals, so get a move on.”
“<BR /> <BR />Clause 6 is about flood protection grants. Are those not already in place? I thought that grants were already going to flood protection, but, yes, I support the clause absolutely. Clause 7 is titled "Flood risk: assessment and management". Really, are we not already doing that? <BR /> <BR />Clause 8 is titled "Drainage works: environmental impact assessment". Really, are we not already doing that? Clause 9 is titled "Scope of regulations under sections 7 and 8". It is OK. Clause 10 is OK. <BR /> <BR />Clause 11 is titled "Unlawful sewer communication: remedies". Where does the culpability lie? Who pays? If I am a developer who purchases a site, and it has issues historically, who is responsible? With whom does the liability rest? <BR /> <BR />Clause 12 is titled "Adoption by sewerage undertaker: removal of restrictions".”
“I am almost there. Those colleagues and that company taught me a lot about engineering. They taught me about the standards of professionalism, about writing, about project management and about building relationships with clients, planners, statutory authorities, councils and contractors. I say that because in Dublin, 25 years ago, we were designing SuDS schemes. What has taken us so long here? What the hell is going on? SuDS are not an optional bolt-on but a design necessity for planning and development. <BR /> <BR />Clause 3 is about issuing guidance. It is probably more about education than it is about enforcement. By the by, I support clause 5 absolutely. It is about reducing storm water volumes and — I cannot read my own writing — slowing down flows. That makes sense and is long overdue.”
“Some 25 years ago, I worked in an engineering practice in Dublin, Moylan Consulting Engineers. I will give a shout-out to Patrick Obdebeck, Paul O'Connell, Darragh Aiken, Lars Schneider, Hunter Jenkins, Niamh Ennis and Paul O'Callaghan.”
“You are also exploring developer contributions, and, obviously, that will mean higher house prices. That is something to recognise. I am interested to know whether AECOM and Arup have been consulted. <BR /> <BR />I will go through the clauses one by one, and I have a few notes about them. Clause 1 is about temporary hosepipe bans, and that makes sense. It is probably about education more than enforcement, and it is a little bit of treating the symptom and not the problem. <BR /> <BR />Will clause 2 show flexibility and imagination in relation to the incorporation of new technologies and offering SuDS? Is NI Water on board with the SuDS offer? Has it agreed to all the proposals? Is it about separation, reed beds or attenuation? Are oversized pipes and manholes the answer to SuDS, as is now?”
“I rise to speak as the SDLP spokesperson on infrastructure and also as a member of the Infrastructure Committee. I welcome the comments from the Minister; it is long after time. The Minister is very good at sharing the blame when things go wrong in her Department. She needs to share some credit here: this process was initiated by my former colleague Nichola Mallon. Obviously, it hit a brick wall along the way as the Assembly was down because Sinn Féin and the DUP walked away from this place for five years. <BR /> <BR />Minister, your three-pronged approach deals with SuDS and with seeking funding from your Executive colleagues. Good luck with that one. Maybe you can speak to your predecessor, John O'Dowd, who probably knows about the funding crisis in NI Water and the Department, and you might be able to curry favour.”
“Minister, I warmly welcome your statement, investment in sport and nourishment of the dreams and ambitions of young athletes, encouraging them to reach for the stars when it comes to sporting achievement: "Citius, altius, fortius", or "Higher, faster, stronger". I see the potential of this island and the North to become a hotbed of sporting endeavour, excellence, participation and achievement. Minister, can you become the driving force behind a new paradigm of sporting excellence, endeavour and participation, not just at the Olympic and elite level but at grassroots levels, from toddlers through to grandmas and grandpas, across sporting platforms across the island?”
“Minister, worryingly for children, parents and teachers, you state that the system risks failing the very children who it is meant to protect. Is that not a startlingly sad admission that your Department and your Executive are failing children, families, parents and schools?”
“<BR /> <BR />The industry simply cannot continue to subsidise apprentices, who are crucial for the industry's sustainability, and they will certainly not receive any worthwhile learning. Yes, we support the motion, but we also support backing a motion declaring that the sky is blue. We know what the problem is. The question is this: what are you going to do about it?”
“On where the industry resource is at at present, there is capacity to spend much more than it expects to be allocated, but that will soon change dramatically, as tough business sustainability decisions have to taken in the next month or so. People will be let go. One of the main quarry and road contractors has 80 fewer staff than it had this time last year. How does that impact on road maintenance and on the state of disrepair? The Minister has to realise that the industry cannot turn the tap off and on every six months or so. It is unreasonable and unfair to expect it to be on board and ramp up its staffing complement on the whim of the Department for Infrastructure.”
“Is that rationale not naive, however, as surely it will not cure the problem, especially when it is anticipated that another 40% of its staff will be lost in the next few years through natural retirement? At that same meeting, the Mineral Products Association informed the DFI team that the morale of its staff on the ground is at rock bottom, with the dire ongoing uncertainty equating to a working environment in which many highly qualified, experienced and hard-working staff cannot wait to jump ship. Who could blame them? A few of them expressed to a leading contractor that they will get out as soon as possible.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Department for Infrastructure's human resource issues are also critical, and the industry was told at the meeting on Friday that the Department hoped to see those resolved in the next two to three years due to new apprentices coming on board.”
“It is sad and alarming that both the industry and the Department recognised that moneys intended for the construction of the A5 will not now be spent on it and are presently lobbying to have that money spent on road improvements elsewhere. <BR /> <BR />The roads industry has capacity at the moment to spend much more than the stated £15 million to £20 million, but time is running out fast. The motion generalises the problems of road maintenance funding but does not recognise or identify the urgency and importance of funding for the safeguarding of the 500-plus jobs that are at risk and, of course, safety on our roads and pavements, which are used by everyone in the North of Ireland. The roads network services all other public and private sector authorities and businesses, and it is in a critical state of disrepair.”
“The Mineral Products Association, the representative body for the roads industry, met the DFI on Friday past, and the feedback that I have received is that it was just another talking shop. The roads industry explained the dire situation that it faced in the coming months. The view of the industry was that the Department just sympathised. It said that it hoped to get some funding in the October monitoring round but that depended on the Finance Minister. It thought that there should be moneys drawn in from the A5 project, but that that would go to the Finance Minister, who would decide where those moneys were to be allocated. The Department hoped to canvass for moneys from the A5 to stay in Infrastructure.”
“If the DUP was truly serious about fixing our roads, it would not be grandstanding with motions like this. It members would be at the Executive table with their Sinn Féin, UUP and Alliance Executive colleagues, working to deliver a comprehensive and effective road maintenance strategy in collaboration with industry. People deserve better than this tomfoolery. It is time for the DUP to stop wasting time and get on with the job of governing. Enough of the motions and rhetoric: let us see some real action for once. <BR /> <BR />On 30 July, the Minister asked the industry what it would need to keep operating in the short term. She was told that it needed a £15 million to £20 million stopgap and further funding before Christmas.”
“Once again, we find ourselves debating a motion in the Assembly about the state of our roads, but this time the irony is impossible to ignore. The motion tabled by the DUP highlights the serious issues with road maintenance across the North that have been mounting for years, and yet here are the DUP: talking about urging action when it is a leading party in the Government with the power to deliver change. It is baffling that the DUP, a party that sits at the Executive table, uses the Assembly to propose non-binding motions, instead of taking real, decisive action to address the issues. The DUP has had years to fix the deteriorating road network, yet, on its watch, nearly 107,000 potholes were recorded last year alone. How many more times do we need to call for action before the DUP stops playing games and starts to take responsibility?”
“I believe passionately in the power of sport and support any efforts to elevate and enhance clubs' reach, impact and competitiveness. I am delighted that the ball is in play for Newry City, Armagh City and Loughgall. Minister, your statement refers to a "level playing field", but, after your announcement, you must know that some clubs feel strongly that some pitches are more level than others. Does the scheme mirror or simulate endeavours in other Departments or jurisdictions, or is your Department in virgin territory? Has your legal advice given assurances on governance, criteria and the potential for challenge?”
“Minister, you are the responsible for delivering the project. With respect, you have not answered the question. Families do not want more excuses; they want accountability. Who is responsible for the failure? When will you finally guarantee delivery of the A5, without further mess-ups from you and your Department?”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. Minister, it is reassuring that you are on the record as saying that there should be a lifting bridge to accommodate tall ships coming into the Albert Basin in Newry. <BR /> <BR />On the consultation, will you confirm and reassure residents from around the Flagstaff Road, Barracric and Ellisholding that their views on the environment around Benson's Glen and the tie-in points with Ellisholding Road at the A1 will be listened to?”
“If any Member wishes to join that discussion or to support the SDLP's campaign to right that wrong, please reach out to me directly. <BR /> <BR />On Lymphoma Awareness Day, let us say clearly that people in the North deserve access to life-saving cancer treatment on this island, and they deserve it now. My heart goes out to Catherine's family — her husband, Fergal; her sons, Manus, Tomás and Donal; her parents, Roisin and Phil; and her colleagues, her club and her community.”
“Her battle and her bravery were heroic, but the journey — the unnecessary travel — ultimately cost her her life. No mother should have to leave her children behind in order to fight for survival in another country. No family should ever again be told, "We did all that we could", when we know that the system did not. The infrastructure exists, and the expertise exists, but the barrier is political will. <BR /> <BR />I have organised a round-table discussion next Monday in Stormont with representatives from Leukaemia & Lymphoma NI, Blood Cancer UK, leading clinicians and families of those who have been impacted on by the inaccessibility of CAR T-cell treatment close to home. It is an issue that impacts on people and families across the North. Therefore, it requires a collective response and a joined-up effort from all Executive parties.”
“It is not a question of resources or a question of medical capacity or capability; it is a question of political will. We are now being told that the CAR T-cell therapy centre in Belfast may not be operational until 2030 and only after accreditation. That is at least another five years of patients being flown to London or Manchester, when a short drive to Dublin could spare them and their families an enormous physical and emotional toll. <BR /> <BR />There is already a shared all-island commitment to cooperation on cancer care. That commitment must mean something. It cannot be allowed to gather dust while patients suffer and families grieve. Catherine's story is not just a tragedy; it is a call to action. Her treatment was working.”
“The treatment was working, but her immune system was severely compromised, and the repeated air travel left her too weak to fight off a final infection. Catherine died far from home and far from her three young, heartbroken boys: Manus, Tomás and Donal. <BR /> <BR />Here is the devastating truth: life-saving treatment is available just 60 miles away in Dublin at St James's Hospital, but Catherine could not access it because no agreement exists to allow patients in the North of Ireland to receive the specialist treatment in the South. I have raised that directly with the Health Minister, and I have urged the Department of Health to act, but, so far, they have shown reluctance to explore or facilitate access to CAR T-cell therapy in the Republic.”
“Today, on Lymphoma Awareness Day, I will speak about a young mother from my constituency Catherine Sherry, whose story must compel the Executive parties to act. Catherine was undergoing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy in London when she tragically passed away in May.”
“but the visceral recall of being on the lough shore as a kid and being in my Uncle Barney and Auntie Rita's house and first tasting the silver eels, experiencing the rubbery taste, is a memory you cannot forget. It is unbelievable. I remember the sense of pride that they had in their local produce and the fact that it was a delicacy that was transported and sold across the world — even in France. I was mesmerised by that fact. <BR /> <BR />Eel fishing plays a vital role as an ecological, economic and cultural ecosystem that has survived and thrived around the lough shore. Eel fishing forms a unique part of the community consciousness, and it needs to be protected. That is all I have to say. Thank you very much.”
“I speak as someone who proudly comes from a farming background. I miss milking the cows. I miss dehorning the calves. I miss covering the silage and experiencing the transition from hay to silage. I miss testing and dosing cattle. I have brought calves to market in the link box on the back of the tractor. I miss all that”
“Thank you, Principal Deputy Speaker. Does the Member agree that it is obscene for some of the Members on the Benches opposite to stand here and deny the genocide and the wanton destruction —?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. People are appalled by the wanton death, destruction and starvation being exacted against the innocent people of Gaza. They ask, "What can we do? What can we say?". The answer is that we must say and do something. The Member mentioned Mothers Against Genocide. Yesterday's protest was the most powerfully poignant one that I have seen in my nearly 10 years as an MLA.”
“Minister, have you had any conversations about how reducing footfall in rural offices will impact on the regionally balanced economy?”
“Minister, memories from my childhood are flooding back: building dams on the little, feeder river to Camlough — the crooked lake — where little fish swam down the river. The chances of those fish swimming down the river now are zero. There were trout jumping from that lake, leaping in the summertime. The chances of trout doing that now are zero. Minister, how will North/South cooperation directly protect and enhance trout and salmon stocks in the rivers and lakes around the North where numbers have collapsed?”
“I note with bewilderment the self-congratulatory tone on Lough Neagh while our lough is engulfed with a rancid blue-green algae. Given the repeated failures on waste water management and nutrient run-off, what enforcement measures will be introduced to make sure that commitments on water quality are met? Does the Minister's Department have the vires to act against and fine the Department for Infrastructure in relation to its failings in discharging waste water to our sea and watercourses?”
“First Minister, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Minnesota Vikings are coming to town to play a historic NFL game — the first on Irish soil — at our GAA HQ, Croke Park. Has the Washington bureau engaged with the Rooney family, whose people hail from Derrybeg in Newry, about hosting a delegation in the North to coincide with that historic event, when 80,000 NFL fans from Europe and further afield will come to see the game?”
“We have just met the all-party group on construction. It outlined the reality that a number of companies that were scheduled to set up business in the North have now relocated elsewhere, including to the Republic. A major company tried to set up business in Newry but relocated to the Republic because of a lack of infrastructure. What does the Minister know about that issue, and what is she doing to address it?”
“I thank the First Minister for her statement. I am bit confused by the statement. Sinn Féin has announced all-Ireland health proposals, which is a concept that I firmly support, but there seems to have been no mention of that at the North/South Ministerial Council meeting. Is that a further demonstration of Sinn Féin's "all show and no go" strategy?”
“This is the third time that Sinn Féin has failed the A5 project. Minister Murphy did not provide the necessary information or comply with the EU habitats directive, which resulted in a successful legal challenge. In 2017, Sinn Féin walked out of government for three years, and the A5 could not proceed, again as the result of a successful legal challenge. In 2025, Minister O'Dowd and Minister Kimmins failed to provide the necessary information and took shortcuts. Civil servants and objectors are running rings around Sinn Féin Ministers. My heart goes out to all the families who have lost loved ones on the A5. Is it the case that Sinn Féin's incompetence in government and its inability to deliver will cost more lives?”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. Does the Minister share my concern that the Executive in which her party occupies positions — an Executive with the supposed aim of stopping paramilitarism — are led by a party that puts propaganda on illegal billboards and on social media and uses every channel possible to glorify IRA violence and bloodletting and that is allied with a unionist leadership that is soft on the erection of UVF and UDA flags and paraphernalia? Is she concerned that they are collaborating to perpetuate sectarian hate, thus dividing our community?”
“In other words, the removal of material that facilitates racist and sectarian intimidation from housing. Do you agree that that is a vital legislative step, given recent attacks?”