Sinéad Ennis
South Down · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“The revelation over recent days that members of the DUP, including the Assembly Speaker, Edwin Poots, had knowledge of the exploitation of a young woman by the now convicted paedophile Jeffrey Donaldson raises serious questions for the DUP.”
“The bottom line here is that a dangerous paedophile went unchallenged and, worse still and despite clear, known red flags, was elected leader of the DUP.”
“We only have to look at Belfast Harbour's master plan, which sets out the possible significant economic impact that that can have. That includes enabling a quarter of all island-wide seaborne trade, which, in turn, creates £8·8 billion in gross value added and equates to 15·7% of the North's total annual output.”
“Instead, the focus must be on whether the agencies that have responsibility, including the environmental regulators and enforcement bodies such as the NIEA and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, are doing enough and whether they have sufficient powers to tackle such issues effectively.”
“The primary objective of the shaking up of driver licensing here in the North is to improve road safety by ensuring that young people are better equipped for driving on our roads. However, at present, many young people pass their tests and are completely priced out of driving because of the insurance rip-off that we are seeing.”
“That reality sees them borrowing from the Department, which is already in a very constrained capital budget position, as the Minister outlined. The provisions in the Bill will ensure that the accountability and oversight mechanisms provided by commissioners on the boards of ports or harbours will continue.”
The complete record
Every one of 872 lines we hold for Sinéad Ennis, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 2 of 18.
“The diversity of content, methods of access, immediacy of need and appropriate depth of detail will all be taken into account in shaping an effective and flexible induction programme. Throughout the development process, structured engagement points will be built in to gather feedback and trial outputs with key stakeholder groups, including Whips, Members and constituency staff. <BR /> <BR />The induction programme will build on the established parliamentary excellence programme, which is well used and will continue to be a core element of Member support in the next mandate.”
“This phase is intended to inform the development of material that is practical, accessible and aligned with Members’ needs at the beginning of the mandate. <BR /> <BR />Building on that foundation, the next phase will focus on the identification and production of core content. It is envisaged that that will include a programme of introductory sessions, briefings and guidance materials designed to support Members in understanding Assembly procedures and practices, as well as the range of services and supports available to assist them in carrying out their roles. Alongside content development, consideration is being given to the tools and formats best suited to an environment that requires timely access to information, effective support for scrutiny and decision-making, and the capacity to respond to tight turnaround times.”
“I thank the Member for her question, and I may require an extra minute. <BR /> <BR />The Clerking and Member Support Office is leading the development of arrangements to support Member induction in the next Assembly mandate. The induction programme is intended to provide structured support for new Members from the outset, while also offering updates for returning Members, targeted learning for Chairpersons and Committees, and relevant information for constituency office staff. Initial scoping work is under way to identify the key elements of the programme. This has focused on reviewing previous Assembly induction arrangements, examining approaches adopted in other Parliaments, and identifying programme elements that have proved effective for different categories of Members, including those co-opted during the current mandate.”
“As I said, those are the Assembly Commission's main considerations. We want to make sure that everybody who uses the Building feels safe and protected and considers it a welcoming place. We are continuing discussions. We want to have all the advice at hand before we make such decisions. That is the responsible thing to do, and that is how the Commission has agreed to proceed.”
“The irony will be lost on no one that those who have never lifted a finger to advance women's rights are now painting themselves as the champions and protectors of women. As a woman who uses and works in this Building, I can tell you that I have never felt unsafe in it.”
“As the Member will know, the Assembly Commission, like other public bodies, does not publish or comment on the legal advice that it receives.”
“The Member will know that I am not here to give my personal opinion; I am here to answer on behalf of the Commission. As I said, there are differing views among the members of the Assembly Commission, as there are across the House. I assure the Member that we are keeping all of this under review. We will return to it at our next Commission meeting. I also assure the Member and all Members across the House that we take the matter extremely seriously.”
“It is a legally complex area, and the Assembly Commission is seeking agreement to manage its statutory responsibilities in an appropriate way.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Assembly Commission agreed to review its transgender policy and guidance following the ECNI's legal paper. A review was undertaken by officials, and findings were presented to the Assembly Commission in September 2025. Following that meeting, the Assembly Commission asked officials to consider further interim options regarding restroom provision in Parliament Buildings. The Assembly Commission discussed that at its meeting on 4 March 2026. The Assembly Commission sought further advice, and this will be brought back to the Assembly Commission at a future meeting. <BR /> <BR />It is acknowledged that there are strongly held and differing views on these matters across the House, as there are on the Assembly Commission.”
“, I will answer questions 1 and 4 together. I thank the Members for their questions. <BR /> <BR />On 26 April 2025, the Supreme Court issued its judgement on For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers, which held that the terms "man", "woman" and "sex" in the Equality Act 2010 refer to biological sex. Since then, the Assembly Commission has held a number of discussions on those matters. Whilst the Supreme Court judgement was not considering Northern Ireland legislation, it is acknowledged as a significant legal development that may have implications locally. As a consequence, the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI) published a legal paper in June 2025 providing initial information for employers, service providers and public authorities.”
“With your permission, a Phríomh-Leas-Cheann Comhairle”
“Instead of defending the right of a nationalist to become First Minister, the SDLP has fallen for unionism's regressive agenda, which is deeply disappointing. <BR /> <BR />The motion is clearly not an attempt at meaningful reform. It is an empty gesture. It is a sop to the DUP. I am sure that the DUP will be delighted that the SDLP is doing its work in undermining and undoing the election of a nationalist First Minister. Sinn Féin will not be deterred. We will remain focused on meaningful, effective and properly considered reforms of the institutions, because it is immaterial what the First Minister and deputy First Minister are called if we cannot get past the blockages to electing them in the first place. We need real structural reform, not a five-minute makeover, which is what the motion effectively is.”
“It really begs the question of how serious the SDLP is about reform when that is the best that it can come up with — when that is all that it has to offer. <BR /> <BR />I am sure that we will hear from the SDLP about how changing the titles would be a gesture of goodwill. The DUP, of course, is famous for reciprocating goodwill and for its generosity of spirit. The DUP, let us remind ourselves, wears its opposition to power-sharing and parity of esteem like a badge of honour. As my colleague Pat Sheehan said, it was only a matter of weeks ago that the DUP Education Minister told the Assembly that Sinn Féin was not his partner in government. Sadly, today, we see the SDLP playing to some of the most regressive elements of unionism that just cannot deal with the reality of a nationalist First Minister. That was never supposed to happen.”
“Yes, it is. <BR /> <BR />They have said that it would simply be a cosmetic change. In fact, the motion itself makes that very point:”
“When asked, every one of them agreed that the titles are equal in law and that changing them would have no impact on the stability of the institutions.”
“Reform of the institutions and how we do government is absolutely required. Sinn Féin unequivocally supports the need for a real and meaningful package of reforms to be brought forward by the two Governments, in partnership, of course, with the parties in the Assembly. What the SDLP has proposed today, however, is not meaningful and not transformative. It is about the optics rather than the structural change that would bring increased stability and accountability to the Assembly. Essentially, it is style over substance. That is not just me saying that or just my opinion; it is what every academic, think tank and, indeed, former First Minister and deputy First Minister have told the Assembly and Executive Review Committee during its evidence-gathering sessions over past months.”
“It will be a game changer for our town, and I assure the community that we will work with the council to ensure that diggers are on site at Clonallon Park and building work begins as soon as possible.”
“<BR /> <BR />I thank everyone who has worked with us over the past 20 years to see the new community health and well-being hub finally become a reality, including those who engaged with us last summer, when we did our community engagement exercise and collected over 300 letters of support from the local community for the new community facility in Warrenpoint.”
“Sinn Féin has listened to the local community and has helped shape the new facility that will include reception and office spaces; a main hall; changing facilities and outdoor changing spaces; an Education Authority resource room; a playgroup room with kitchenette and office facilities; a sensory room; a dance studio; a music room; meeting space and office space. <BR /> <BR />We will also see the development of the outdoor space at Clonallon Park, where the new community health and well-being hub will be located, and a sensory garden that will create a welcoming and inclusive space for people. The new community hub will also provide a space for bowls for the winter months. Local soccer and football teams will be able to avail themselves of the new changing rooms that will be located at the hub as well.”
“The people of Warrenpoint have been without a modern, fit-for-purpose community hub for over 20 years. That long wait ended when planning permission was finally granted for the new Warrenpoint community health and well-being hub last week that will see £7·3 million invested in my community. <BR /> <BR />My colleague councillor Mickey Ruane first made the case for a community facility in Warrenpoint over 20 years ago. We have managed to deliver something that far exceeds anyone's expectations, including his. We have delivered a modern, two-storey building that will provide community space and fit-for-purpose facilities for the local community and community groups across South Down.”
“Thank you. I hear what the Minister says, but does he not accept that that was not a condition when Casement was announced along with the other two stadia? To impose it retrospectively is not equality; it is not fair.”
“— there was no mention of clawback when it came to Windsor or Ravenhill. Political unionism does not do Irishness. Political unionism does not want any expression or promotion of Irish identity and culture, and that is what Casement would represent to them. However, the uncomfortable and inescapable truth for unionism is that the GAA has contributed more to the cultural, sporting, social and economic prosperity of this island and, indeed, the globe than its mean-spirited and insular world view ever could or will. <BR /> <BR />The motion and the amendment should be treated with the contempt that they deserve, and shame on anybody who gives either any credibility.”
“You will have time when you are making a winding-up speech on your amendment. <BR /> <BR />— in communities, but that would be a waste of my time, because this is not a serious motion. It is yet another attempt by unionism to punish and debase the GAA and its members and to poke nationalism in the eye. Sinn Féin will not stand for that. This is not a serious debate, because we know that political unionism does not do the GAA. Political unionism does not do equality or fairness, because —”
“I will not. <BR /> <BR />— that the GAA reinvests —”
“I could stand here and try to educate Mr Gaston, political unionism and, by all accounts, People Before Profit on the immeasurable social, economic and sporting capital —”
“I suppose that I should declare an interest as a member of Saint Mary's GAC, Burren. <BR /> <BR />Madam Principal Deputy Speaker, I tell you what: irony is well and truly dead. The motion comes from the TUV, which, by its own admission, could not care less if Casement was ever built, yet the Member comes to the Chamber demanding revenue from it. I had a whole speech written, but I thought, "You know what? To hell with that". Why would I stand here and waste my time trying to convince people — people who do not want to be convinced — of the value of the GAA?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Does the Member agree that Mr Burrows, the now leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, who spent the first weeks of his time in the Chamber talking about koi carp and pandas falling out of trees, has no credibility when he lectures others on wasting time in the Chamber?”
“On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I heard you at the start regarding moderating the debate. This debate is not about context or about anybody else other than the alleged breach by Timothy Gaston. Are we going to stick to the matter, or are we going to allow a free-for-all?”
“Minister, the arrogance that you continue to display and your complete inability to accept your own failings is truly breathtaking. We all recall the violent scenes at Larne Leisure Centre last summer. Do you accept that your comments may have heightened tensions further and contributed to the unrest?”
“On a point of order, Mr Speaker. What has just happened here in Question Time is highly irregular. Is it convention, or is it in Standing Orders, that you prevent Members from asking questions? It is Question Time, after all. Furthermore, given that the Communities Minister was up for Question Time, I question whether you should have accepted the question for urgent oral answer. Was that in keeping with Standing Orders and convention?”
“I thank her for representing herself, her family and Newry so proudly. We are proud of Rachel. We will have to make some space at the town hall, beside Banjo Bannon and Pat Jennings, for a statue of Rachel. She is so deserving of all the opportunities and success that will no doubt flow her way following this. I wish her every success in the future.”
“On Friday, we buried Mickey Brady. As we said goodbye to one Newry legend, another Newry legend was being born, as Rachel Duffy was soon to win 'The Traitors' in the most amazing style. Apparently, us Newry women now have the reputation of being ruthless and treacherous, and we certainly are, if you cross us, but the Rachel whom I know — I have known her for some time — is funny, kind, good craic, works very hard in the community and voluntary sector, and is fiercely proud of her roots and where she comes from. Watching Rachel over the past month has been brilliant TV. It has been exciting for Newry people, and watching her progress, week in, week out, has brought a buzz to the town. I sincerely congratulate Rachel on her win: it could not have happened to a better woman.”
“Do yourselves a favour: take your colleague Phillip Brett's advice from last week, and let us get back to talking about the real issues that people have sent us to the Chamber to talk about.”
“As my colleague Cathal Boylan said, if the Members opposite are truly and genuinely serious about tackling illegal structures, let us talk about the illegal displays at bonfires. Let us have an open and honest conversation about flags and illegal displays festooning lamp posts up and down the length of the North — but you are not serious about it. You want to cherry-pick the issue because it suits you. <BR /> <BR />It is not a serious motion; it is not. The motion is about electioneering. It is not a genuine attempt to tackle those issues in any meaningful way. If you want to have a serious and honest debate about it, we are up for it. We will have the debate, but we are not going to entertain cherry-picking one issue because it suits your political agenda.”
“Without a single hint of irony, here we have the DUP today tabling a motion about a strip of corriboard with a Sinn Féin logo on it, which, by the way— this fact seems to have escaped many people in the Chamber today — is no longer there. <BR /> <BR />Regrettably, but unsurprisingly, Mr McNulty has chosen to follow the DUP in this ignominy.”
“I had not intended to speak in the debate, but I simply cannot sit here and allow this farce to trundle along any longer. It is, quite frankly, a farcical debate. <BR /> <BR />I am old enough to remember, because it was only last Tuesday, when Phillip Brett — I am glad that he has joined us in the Chamber — berated Sinn Féin for not using its time in the Chamber last week to introduce issues and talk about the "real issues", as he put it, affecting our constituents here in the North. To quote Mr Brett last week:”
“On a point of order, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. I am appalled by the party that accuses everyone else in the Chamber of toxicity. Will you make a ruling on whether the Member for South Down was in breach of Standing Order 65(e) when he shouted across the Chamber at the deputy First Minister that she was "stupid"?”
“We have seen the value of cross-border cooperation in healthcare through the North West Cancer Centre at Altnagelvin and the all-island paediatric cardiology service, so there is no reason why we cannot see the same cooperation on paediatric pathology. <BR /> <BR />The families whom I have spoken to call simply for a common-sense approach to the matter to ease the burden on families who are already experiencing significant trauma in grief. We need to do better for families who, unfortunately, need to access post-mortem services following the death of their child. That is the least that we can do for families at that time.”
“I know that the Minister gets that and that he wants to see the matter resolved, and I know that his predecessor was also committed to resolving the matter. I have much correspondence from him, dating back to 2020, outlining his attempts to resolve it with his counterpart in the South, so I know that there is the will to resolve this, and I acknowledge that. We now need to see action, and everyone in the House is calling for that. We need to see details and a plan for how we can sustain the service at home. <BR /> <BR />Since the paediatric services ceased in the North in 2019, Sinn Féin, along with colleagues across the Chamber, has been calling for the all-island paediatric pathology option to be explored.”
“Another mother from South Down told me that it was extremely disappointing that the situation has not been resolved since the loss of her son in 2020. She said that words can never express the pain of the added stress and trauma for her family in their darkest of times. <BR /> <BR />As colleagues across the Chamber have said, repeated attempts to recruit a full-time paediatric pathologist in the North have proved unsuccessful. I reflect on Diane's comments on the issues that the population in the South is also experiencing, but a problem shared is a problem halved. I would like the health services North and South to plan a way through this together, because that would ease the burden on families who are already experiencing the most unimaginable trauma once their child has passed away.”
“Sometimes, it is not possible for one parent or both to accompany their child on that journey to Liverpool. There is then the agonising wait for the result of the post-mortem and for their child to be returned home for burial. <BR /> <BR />I would like colleagues across the Chamber to listen to and reflect on the words of two mothers from my constituency and for us to recommit to ensuring that no other family has to face such a situation. One mother told me:”
“That creates a delay in diagnosis and increases families' distress. Furthermore — this point is crucial — it denies us the opportunity to build local expertise and a comprehensive understanding of the unique health issues and challenges that children in the North face. <BR /> <BR />The death of a child is an agonising experience for families. I acknowledge the families who have shared their experience with me. Despite going through the most unimaginable pain that any parent could endure, they have resolved to ensure that no other family should have their pain and trauma compounded owing to that gap in our healthcare system. I have sat with grieving parents in their living room as they recounted the trauma of being told that, in order to understand the cause of death of their child, they must go to Liverpool for a post-mortem.”
“I thank colleagues in the Chamber for their compassionate approach to the debate. Paediatric pathology is an essential component of our healthcare system. It is important for us to state and understand that, because it provides crucial insights into the causes of illness and death among children, gives grieving families answers and enables advancements in medical research. <BR /> <BR />The lack of a dedicated paediatric pathology service in the North since 2019 represents a gap in our healthcare system that can no longer be ignored. Not only does the absence of a paediatric pathology service place an undue burden on families, healthcare professionals and the broader medical community but, as we have heard today, it means that cases must often be referred to other places, such as Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Does he agree, as I said previously, that it is disgraceful for the DUP to talk about votes in this place while using the petition of concern — a mechanism that was designed to protect minority rights — to block a vote that would give voice to people's views? That would be democracy, so why are they afraid of it?”
“— yet you misuse a petition of concern to block a vote in this place. What are you afraid of?”
“I appreciate the Member giving way. I find the complete lack of self-awareness on the part of the DUP almost comical. Your colleague Jonathan Buckley said that the way to demonstrate the will of the people was through votes in the House —”
“The withdrawal of the Irish, Spanish, Dutch, Slovenian and now Flemish broadcasters was a human response and an act of resistance, and I call on the BBC to follow their example. If the contest is to survive, we, the fans, need to stop it being used as an apartheid talent show. We cannot be complicit in the cultural artwashing that exists to distract from a genocide that Europe continues to arm, fund, excuse and sanitise.”
“When it hosted Eurovision in 2019, Israel erased Palestinians entirely, fined a contestant for holding a Palestinian flag and, much like the Education Minister, showcased illegally occupied territories as Israeli land. Audiences are no longer buying it, however, and broadcasters, artists and viewers across Europe are confronting the obvious fact that Eurovision has become a platform for laundering Israeli state crimes. <BR /> <BR />I read over the weekend that the deputy First Minister thinks that boycotts do not work. Deputy First Minister, they do work, and I am quite sure that Emma Little-Pengelly is familiar with South Africa. If she does not believe me that boycotts work, maybe she will listen to a South African caller to LBC radio on Friday, who, when asked whether boycotts work, said:”
“No such consensus was reached about Israel on the genocide in Gaza. Somehow, the starvation, the mass graves, the 70,000 dead Palestinians — 25,000 of them children — the bombed-out hospitals, the dozens of murdered journalists, the flattened neighbourhoods and the live-streamed horror of a people being annihilated does not bring the contest into disrepute. That death toll continues to rise by an average of seven people a day, despite a ceasefire. <BR /> <BR />We know, because it has been documented, that Israel uses Eurovision as a soft-power tool to sanitise its image and to deflect from its atrocities in Gaza. Eurovision is, essentially, a branding exercise to repackage its apartheid reality as progressive, LGBTQ-friendly, multicultural and fun.”
“While the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) was making its mind up as to whether 20,000 dead Palestinian children was quite enough to remove Israel from the Eurovision Song Contest, Ireland, Spain, Slovenia and the Netherlands acted under the weight of their own conscience and took the morally correct decision to withdraw from Eurovision and not allow themselves to be used to normalise and sanitise Israel and its crimes. It is wholly unconscionable that it has been left to national broadcasters to be the moral compass of the competition in the face of the abject cowardice and hypocrisy shown by the EBU. <BR /> <BR />In 2022, Russia was, rightly, expelled from the competition following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The EBU said at the time that Russia had brought the contest into disrepute.”