Matthew O'Toole
South Belfast · Social Democratic and Labour Party · Northern Ireland
“I appreciate my colleague's giving way. Unfortunately, I was not here for all of the Minister's remarks — like her, I have been in the Chamber for a lot of today, so I had to pop out and attend to some other business. I presume that the Member will agree that these provisions could be more properly included in the Sentencing Bill.”
“Clearly, however, the regulatory and enforcement regime for all those watercourses and marine environments is way out of date ecologically and, indeed, economically.”
“We learned about the antics of Jeffrey Donaldson that were not criminal — so far — only after his conviction. Reporters have been able to go and find that information and people have been able to speak — felt able to speak — because Mr Donaldson has been sent to prison, convicted of appalling crimes, and is therefore less likely to seek r…”
“We are pleased, in broad terms, to support it at Second Stage. We welcome the move towards an approach to fisheries management that is ecosystem-based rather than narrowly species-based.”
“We were robust in opposing those who were not willing to deal with the nutrients action plan, for example, which should have been a core part of dealing with Lough Neagh. Of course, the farming industry needed to be engaged, and the Minister has been doing a lot of that work recently.”
“On a point of order, Mr Speaker. In just a few hours' time, the House will go into recess for more than two months. There are two outstanding and grave matters that the public in Northern Ireland want us to deal with, but we are walking away, so I want your advice on Standing Orders.”
The complete record
Every one of 5,909 lines we hold for Matthew O'Toole, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 46 of 119.
“In most democratic societies, the social contract is predicated on the idea that the people who get to vote through taxation increases tell the people who are being taxed what the plan is for using the taxation. I therefore make no apology for linking the order to the flimsy, flawed document that is the Programme for Government. <BR /> <BR />The Executive have not produced a clear, coherent plan. If they were to do so and say, "This is why we want to raise revenue", "This is what an increased rate will be used for" and, "By the way, we are doing this increase because we need to find other sources of revenue to deal with the crisis with our waste water infrastructure and to transform our health service", the Opposition would have to be constructive in engaging with them. The Executive have not done any of that, however.”
“I am happy to take your guidance, Mr Deputy Speaker. I am coming towards the end of my remarks anyway. I make no apology, however, for connecting the Rates (Regional Rates) Order to our Programme for Government, because this is the only time that we come to the Chamber to debate a revenue-raising tool. We often come to the Chamber to debate non-binding motions. We table motions, and Members, including the First Minister, post on social media, "We are debating a motion on x, y and z" and expect the public to buy it. They expect people to like such social media posts. What we are voting on today concerns a taxation increase. It is serious stuff. It is what we come here to do. It is the power that we have. Members will vote on increasing taxation for people.”
“We do not have any of that, however. Instead, we have verbiage, platitudes, vagueness and, frankly, gaslighting at times. We now have a forcing through of a —.”
“The document does not even have that, nor does it have an indicative multi-year Budget for the kinds of allocations that the Executive would like to make or say anything about what that would mean for spending, what block grant the Executive think that they might get and what that might mean for the ambition for revenue raising and for the additional revenue raising that the Executive think that they may have to do, for example, in order to rescue the health service or to start investing in waste water infrastructure. Those are the kinds of honest trade-offs that the Opposition have called for. We have not been desperate and opportunistic. Rather, we have simply said, "Give us the plan. Tell us how it is being worked out. Be honest with the public in Northern Ireland about the challenges, and we will work with you".”
“That does not happen south of the border or across the water, but the Minister, and the Minister before him, have done absolutely nothing to review the situation. We have been told that there will be a 10-year cycle of review, but nothing radical has been proposed to improve our public services here, and there is no clarity or vision for the people of Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />When we got the Programme for Government last week, we expected it to contain at least some indication of how a Budget would be produced for delivery on a clear one-year basis, but the PFG does not even contain a Budget table for 2025-26. That is the Budget that is already in draft form. The Executive should at least be able to produce a table with two columns that show the Departments and their respective amounts of money.”
“<BR /> <BR />Our vacant property relief, for example, costs us tens of millions of pounds a year and is much more generous than in other parts of these islands. Clearly, it incentivises dilapidation, because owners can sit on properties that are becoming ever more derelict and unused, getting further and further away from useful economic activity, and avail themselves of an open-ended relief.”
“<BR /> <BR />I will also talk about a couple of other things that have been said about rates reviews and fiscal policy. We have heard a lot about the fiscal framework, but we need to hear more about what is happening with it. A lot was said last year about how punishing the revenue raising increases were going to be. I have just got a response to a question for written answer that suggests to me that the revenue raised by the Executive after the restoration package was less this year than it was in previous years on the same measurement. I am intrigued as to how the narrative of great ambition and fundamental strategic review can be sustained. Everything that I have seen betrays a lack of ambition and a lack of a serious plan to reform.”
“about fiscal devolution, but we have had nothing of substance. I am bewildered that anyone serious could say that the answer to how you do rates better is to have a 10-year review cycle. There are few things in life or in any business that are reviewed on a 10-yearly basis. If you are reviewing something over the course of a decade and, effectively, giving yourself a decade to find out whether to do something, you are not serious about doing it. That is not just a platitude; it is gaslighting people. It is not taking responsibility. Householders, who face the above-inflation increase, are being told, "There'll be an above-inflation increase in the rate this year, but don't worry: we're looking at how it works, and we're going to review it perhaps in a decade's time, when we have a little more information". That is utter nonsense.”
“I am happy to give way to any Member who can point me to where that plan is or to when people can expect to see waiting lists coming down. <BR /> <BR />I will talk about something that the Minister mentioned. As I said, we have encouraged more ambition on revenue and fiscal powers. We have heard lots of warm words and — to use an old Irish expression — plámás”
“The Programme for Government comes nowhere near being a clear, targeted and time-bound plan for improving public services. <BR /> <BR />When members of the public, whether business owners paying non-domestic rates or householders paying above-inflation rates, are being asked to pay more, the least that they can ask is what that money will be used for. The Executive have not delivered that. Perhaps that is why there is a desire to slightly subtly sneak this through, without any debate until today's. The official Opposition will oppose the motion, not because we do not think that rates should be raised ever, but because an above-inflation rise is being forced on households in the absence of clear, deliverable plans to improve public services.”
“Public services have not massively improved in the past year, but we are hitting people with new charges. <BR /> <BR />Let us be clear: we, as a constructive Opposition, have never said, "No, nay, never; don't ever look at taxes or at how you raise revenue"; in fact, we have encouraged the Executive to look at measures to raise revenue and take more powers here. We want them to take responsibility and be accountable for money that is raised here on the basis of a plan to improve public services, but we have neither of those things. We have a rushed-through regional rates order with an above-inflation increase, but there is no parallel set of clear plans to improve public services. I am sure that the Minister will say that that is all in the Programme for Government (PFG), but I, of course, do not think that it is.”
“Well, the Opposition have talked a bit about it, and we have talked a bit about it in the Finance Committee. It is important to put that on the record. <BR /> <BR />It is also important to put it on record that, although the First Minister and other Ministers were keen to run away from the concept of revenue raising last year, when the Executive returned, revenue raising was agreed as part of the process between the Treasury, the NIO and all the parties that formed the Executive. It was agreed in black and white in the letters that were exchanged between the UK Government and the new Executive that revenue raising would be part of the process. The newly appointed First Minister said last year that she did not think that you could hit the people in the North with new charges when public services were in the state that they were in.”
“It is welcome that, although it is going up for businesses, it is at least being kept closer to the rate of inflation. However, it is going up. Households are paying more. I am sure that the Minister will say that that is in part to cover the costs of the additional employer National Insurance contributions, but the truth is that we still do not know exactly how much those will cost. We are told that the UK Government will provide more clarity when we get to the Main Estimates process at Westminster. That will not be until later this year, but we are effectively voting through an above-inflation rise in rates for the public in Northern Ireland, and we are kind of doing it today in a bit of a rush, having not talked about it in public.”
“<BR /> <BR />This, by the way, is the first substantive debate that we have had on the regional rate, which, as the Minister said, was brought to us in a written ministerial statement. The entire 2025-26 draft Budget was in a written ministerial statement that was delivered to MLAs without an oral statement and with no ability to scrutinise or challenge the Finance Minister or the Executive more generally on it. We still have not had that, by the way, because we still have not had a full debate on the 2025-26 Budget. That was slipped out just before Christmas when the Assembly had ceased to sit in plenary. Then, after Christmas, I found out via a written answer to a question that the Executive had agreed that regional rate: again, 5% for households and 3% for businesses.”
“The regional rate and the district rate, which is set by councils, are basically the only revenue-raising tools that we have in Northern Ireland. I will come on to talk a little about the fact that we have heard no clarity yet from the Minister or his predecessors about other revenue-raising fiscal tools that they would like to use, but we have heard lots of talk about them. However, as we stand today, the only tool that we have is the regional rate, and it is going up. It is going up by 3% for businesses and 5%, which is significantly above inflation, for households. It is important to pause and be clear with the people of Northern Ireland about that. If you are a householder, your rates are going up in real terms, not just in cash terms: you are paying more than the current rate of inflation next year. The Executive have agreed to that.”
“I again indicated that, in a personal and political capacity, I was not content with this rule; however, there was broad consensus across the Committee to support the statutory rule, and the Committee agreed to recommend that the SR be affirmed by the Assembly. Therefore, I can report that the Committee for Finance supports the motion to affirm. <BR /> <BR />I will now make some remarks in my capacity as leader of the Opposition. First of all, it is important to say that, as a constructive Opposition, we have always acknowledged the importance not just of our rating system in the abstract but of effectively using the revenue-raising tools that are at our disposal locally to pay for public services and to better manage our economy.”
“The Rates (Regional Rates) Order (NI) 2025 was subsequently formally laid in the Assembly Business Office on 14 February as SR 2025/27, and, at the Committee's meeting on 26 February, members noted that the Examiner of Statutory Rules had reported on the rule and not drawn it to the attention of the Assembly. <BR /> <BR />At the same meeting, members noted information from the Department indicating that, for the purposes of funding public expenditure for 2025-26, the regional domestic rate for 2025-26 was set at 0·5294 pence in the pound and the non-domestic regional rate for 2025-26 is set at 29·89 pence in the pound, which, as the Minister indicated, is a rise of 5% for households and 3% for businesses.”
“Obviously, I will cover my remarks politically later on, and I am sure that Mr Carroll will too. <BR /> <BR />At that Committee meeting, as is usual practice, the Committee noted assurances provided by the Department in relation to the position in Britain, the regulatory impact and the financial impact. Obviously, Britain is different because there is council tax in GB for domestic payers. We also noted the regulatory and financial impacts.”
“<BR /> <BR />At that time, when we had a discussion on the principle, there was broad consensus to support the proposed SR, but Gerry Carroll and I put it on the record that we would oppose this SR when it came to the Floor of the House.”
“<BR /> <BR />The policy proposal, in the form of the SL1 letter, was first considered by the Committee on 22 January 2026. At that time, the members received a useful briefing from the director of rating policy in Land and Property Services (LPS) on the current issues in rating policy, which included some items of subordinate legislation, including the SRs we are debating today. <BR /> <BR />At that time the Committee noted that, due to the legislative timetable and procedures to be followed for affirmative resolution SRs, it was necessary to consider the policy process in parallel to the Budget process progressing at Executive level. That is not ideal, but it reflects the situation that we often find ourselves in, where timescales are compressed because of a range of factors, including those external to the Executive.”
“I will speak first in my capacity as Chair of the Finance Committee and then in my role as leader of the Opposition. <BR /> <BR />I thank the Minister for his remarks. In my comments as Committee Chair, I will reflect on the scrutiny that members have performed on this order and then on the other rates orders that we are debating today. <BR /> <BR />The Committee has considered the statutory rule (SR) to stipulate the amounts of regional domestic and regional non-domestic rates that are to be used in the assessment of rates and the billing of ratepayers in Northern Ireland for the year ending 31 March 2026. Affirmation of the rule will facilitate rates bills being issued to ratepayers on 1 April 2025, reflecting decisions taken by the Executive for the 2025-26 Budget.”
“Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker.”
“He gave a huge part of his life to serving his community and to building the GAA in Loughinisland, Down and, indeed, Ulster. He was also a civil servant of long standing in the Department of Education and is held in much regard.”
“With your indulgence, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker, I will use the time that is left to me to acknowledge the passing of a very significant figure in Down GAA: the former Down county chairman Eamonn O'Toole, who is my uncle. Eamonn passed away in the past day. As well as being president of Loughinisland Gaelic Athletic Club (GAC), a club that he helped shape over the past half century and more, he was chairman of the Down county board at the turn of century, a role that he carried out in a reforming and significant way. As well as being a profound loss to his family, who are deeply proud of him, and to the community in Loughinisland, he is an illustration of the amazing contribution that Gaels make to their community and of the amount of energy, patience, diplomacy, volunteerism and service that the GAA embodies.”
“I look forward to the hundreds of events, to the tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of visitors, to the economic contribution and to the huge cultural impact that the fleadh will have.”
“<BR /> <BR />Anyone who has been to a Fleadh Cheoil — there was famously a terrific one in Derry in 2013; the first one ever to come to the North — will know how amazing an experience it is. It is truly a huge opportunity for Belfast. It is also an opportunity for us to proudly put on display the diversity of culture in this city. I acknowledge and indeed point to 2013 when the Londonderry Bands Forum was a huge and emotionally resonant part of the fleadh in Derry. I am sure that that level of pluralism will be on display in Belfast when the whole island of Ireland and, indeed, the whole world will see the extraordinary diversity of culture on this island and the way that the city best embodies that extraordinary culture.”
“Today, I warmly and delightedly welcome the fact that the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann will come to the great city of Belfast next year. It is the 75th anniversary of the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann. In 2026, it will come to the North for only the second time and, for the first time, to this brilliant city — Ireland's second city — which is rich in Irish traditional music and dance and a whole range of dance and culture. The news comes after enormous hard work, particularly from Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireannn in Ards and Belfast and a range of others, to deliver it to this city. It will be amazing for Belfast's economy. It will bring hundreds of thousands of musicians, dancers and people who just want to participate in the festivities and the culture. It will be truly brilliant.”
“That includes — it would be remiss of me not to mention it, because I have a lot of relatives affected by it — the completion of work to upgrade the Buncrana Road and a lot of other things to do with the north-west transport plan, but it needs to be part of a broader picture that reconnects people in the north-west of the island of Ireland to Belfast, Dublin and the world of economic and cultural opportunities beyond. We will keep bringing the issue to the Assembly and pressing Ministers constructively to deliver for the people.”
“If you look to the South’s Programme for Government, you will see that it says that they will work to implement the findings of the strategic rail review. There is a slight textual difference there, and I would like to see the two jurisdictions get on the same page. It needs to be funded, and I recognise that that is a challenge. Let us be ambitious, however, and set out a clear path for delivery. <BR /> <BR />There are other bits of connectivity that we need to address.”
“It was not quite the St Louis of the north-west of Ireland, but it was connected to Bundoran, Clones, Monaghan, Portadown and all those places. What an ambition. The Minister will not be able to rebuild all that in her time in office, but what a great thing it would be historically for us all to be a part of rebuilding that network. We can start that now, in this mandate. <BR /> <BR />I want to point out that, although we are consensus-building with this motion, we are still the Opposition. The Programme for Government that was brought out yesterday talks about the all-island strategic rail network. It says that the Executive will consider the findings of the all-island strategic rail review.”
“<BR /> <BR />My colleague Mark Durkan talked about the "Build it, and they will come" ethos in terms of rail connectivity. The increased services in the original phase of increasing the Derry to Belfast capacity proved that thesis. The hourly trains from Belfast to Dublin have proved that thesis. I will not play the blame game, but, in this part of the island and, in fact, in other parts of the island on the other side of the border, we destroyed the rail network. We destroyed connectivity. We dismembered connections between different parts not just of Northern Ireland but of the island of Ireland. That removed connections in a way that was profound and not just in an economic sense. It removed communities. <BR /> <BR />Deborah talks passionately about Enniskillen: Enniskillen was a railway hub.”
“We are now more than a decade on from a former SDLP Environment Minister discovering that appalling crime and revealing it to the world, but we still do not have a clear plan to properly remediate it and deal with all the consequences, once of which is the delay to the completion of the A6. We want clarity on that. <BR /> <BR />The A5 has been mentioned. That, too, is not just a critical part of improving connectivity but a vital part of saving lives on the entire north-west corridor of the island from Aughnacloy, Monaghan and Navan, if you like, all the way up to Derry and beyond, into Donegal. Too many lives have been lost. That connectivity is critical. We welcome the progress that has been made on the A5, but, as with others, we will ensure that there is more progress.”
“We hope that it happens on a cross-party basis, and we, as the Opposition, will support and encourage Ministers from any party, including the current Minister, to make progress on this, because what we have done to connectivity to the north-west is one of the tragedies of the past century. <BR /> <BR />Our motion addresses not just expanding the rail network and improving the service but tackling one of the major delays to the expansion of the A6: the appalling environmental crime at Mobuoy. We do want to see progress on that. It is somewhat disappointing that we haven't heard clarity from the Executive yet about when we will see practical action on Mobuoy.”
“People who go to Derry sometimes wonder, particularly if you bring a child over the Craigavon Bridge, why there are two platforms: an upper deck and a lower deck. The reason is that one of them carried trains from Derry to Dublin. The truth is that the north-west and, indeed, the entire north-west of the island of Ireland — even if you define it as the south-west of Northern Ireland, it is the north-west of the island of Ireland — has been let down over the last century in terms of connectivity, be it on the roads, whether that is the A5 or the A6, or in rail connectivity. There is a historic opportunity now.”
“Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. That was a really thoughtful debate. It is not the first time that we have debated the north-west today, because it is an Opposition day devoted to the north-west, but it is not the first time that we have talked about cross-border infrastructure and rail, and I doubt that it will be the last, as the official Opposition. I will not go through and respond to all of the remarks, in part because Keith Buchanan did that very effectively and has saved me a job. There are a few points that I will summarise. <BR /> <BR />I talked earlier about the fact that my mum was from the Maiden City of Derry. She will not forgive me for pointing out that she is old enough to have caught the train from Derry to Dublin from the old Foyle Road station.”
“I appreciate the Minister's giving way. I know that Departments are looking at five-year business plans. Hopefully, those will tie in with a multi-year Budget. Is the Minister's Department looking at potential Budget allocations for the implementation of the all-island strategic rail review? I know that some of that would be for scoping rather than literally laying track, because of how long it takes, but is it factored into that planning?”
“Lots of us care about it, but we also care about the wider north-west region. That is why we want to agree the motion and see more focused action from the Executive. That is not because we think that the Executive have not done anything for Derry or, indeed, other regions in this place but because we want more of it. <BR /> <BR />There has been a little bit of J D Vance today — "You should be grateful for what you have got" — as if the people of Derry and the north-west should say, "Thank you" for all that they have had: no. People of the north-west want more for their future, and they are exactly right to demand that. We in the SDLP Opposition will always stand up for them and everyone in the region. I commend the motion to the House.”
“. It includes all of those places, because that is one economic unit, and we want to see it reach its full potential. <BR /> <BR />The Minister talked about many of the positive investments and developments: I welcome that. I also acknowledge that the Economy Minister is in Berlin, selling dual market access. I hope that, now that we know that, we will get an update from her and can hold her to account. Hopefully, she will deliver that. I welcome that. It is good that, finally, we have a Minister who is championing our dual market access. <BR /> <BR />Gary Middleton moved his party's amendment, which, I am afraid, we will not support, and was proud to stand up for the city that he represents and calls "home". Political differences aside, lots of people acknowledge that Gary cares intensely about his city.”
“We want to deliver for Coleraine . I have a colleague who stands up for Coleraine every day in the Chamber. There is nothing in our motion that suggests that we do not want delivery for Coleraine too; indeed the wider north-west is what the motion is about. That includes Coleraine, Strabane, Letterkenny and Gaoth Dobhair”
“You would not think that from reading the document, because it has the fingerprints, I am afraid, of DUP policymaking on it. In fact, at page 85, it puts the North/South Ministerial Council and InterTradeIreland, which were created by the Good Friday Agreement and are underpinned by international law, on the same footing as the East-West Council and Intertrade UK, which are organisations that came out of a grubby secret deal between the DUP and the Tory Government. They are not the same as cross-border bodies created by the Good Friday Agreement, and it was depressing to read that in the Programme for Government. While I acknowledge that Pádraig was right in what he said, it was disappointing not to see more of it in the Programme for Government. <BR /> <BR />Maurice Bradley talked about delivering for Coleraine.”
“Creating a focused, concentrated task force — the clue is in the name — that operates on a time-limited basis with a remit to suggest focused policy levers is a different intervention from an ongoing growth partnership, albeit the north-west growth partnership does important work, and we commend it and, obviously, work with it. <BR /> <BR />As I said, Pádraig said that north-west investment benefits the whole island: he is right. He also talked about the importance of cross-border economic policymaking: I agree with him. That is why I am depressed to see that Sinn Féin Ministers did not get more of that into the Programme for Government. Sinn Féin Ministers control all three major economic Departments — the Economy Department, the Finance Department and the Infrastructure Department — in the region.”
“When they looked at the north-west, they said grandly that they were satisfied that the wider north-west — Derry and Donegal — was an integrated economic unit. Despite what people say about the awful consequences of the protocol, even that group of English Brexiteers said, "This is one region economically, and the international border in the middle of it does not really represent either its potential or how people live on an everyday basis". That is why we make no apology for suggesting a cross-border task force. I think that Kate Nicholl asked whether that would duplicate the growth partnership: it does not. Look at the example of the Magee task force: we commended the Minister for creating it.”
“He acknowledged that, in the few years for which we have had that differential proposition, we have not had those specific investments, but those investments take a long time and are based on political stability. Guess what — hint, hint, DUP — we have not had a lot of political stability in this place. <BR /> <BR />I will move on to some of the other comments. Pádraig Delargy was right to say that investment in the north-west benefits the entire region and, indeed, the entire island of Ireland and that it has to be on a cross-border basis. That it why our motion calls for a cross-border task force. The Prosperity Commission was an absurd group of Brexiteers who were bemused as to why lots of us thought that a hard border on the island of Ireland was a bad idea.”
“Dual market access is so important, because it is a unique selling point for the region. I am fairly certain — check Hansard — that I was the first Member to use the phrase "dual market access" in the Chamber. Now they are all talking about it. I have been championing it for a long time, as has the SDLP. We are convinced that it can be transformational for our region. <BR /> <BR />Some Members mentioned the remarks of the chief executive of Invest NI. The chief executive of Invest NI and Invest NI more generally are selling that proposition. I am happy to acknowledge what he said in Committee, but he did not say at any point — the DUP can correct me — that there was no ability to sell Northern Ireland on the basis of its dual market access.”
“The Riverine project is a significant part of that deal too. We were proud and happy to work with other parties in the Assembly to deliver that.”
“It is a proud city, and we have no qualms about standing up and demanding the best possible future for that city and that region. <BR />The wider region has been failed for too long, but it is also doing really well. It has huge potential. It has huge opportunities and brilliant businesses operating in that region. A few people mentioned the city deal and asked why we did not talk about the city deal. It is a bit churlish to pick out every single word that is not mentioned in the motion and complain that it is not there. As Mr Brett acknowledged, we have been strong supporters of the city deal the whole way through. As with every other party in the Chamber, we were determined that that money would be un-paused and that those projects, which will, hopefully, be transformational for Derry and, indeed, Strabane, would be un-paused.”
“It was a critical part of the criticism of that old — bluntly — Stormont regime and Northern Ireland Government and, indeed, the situation that had pertained since the partition of Ireland and the creation of Northern Ireland. I am not harping on those as old subjects, but I am clearly willing to set them out as part of the historical context for why we are debating these issues. <BR /> <BR />There is also a geographic context. By the way, however, if you really want a historical context, go back and pick up 'Das Kapital', because the only Irish and, indeed, one the few UK cities mentioned in 'Das Kapital', which was written by Karl Marx, is Derry and its Tillie and Henderson's shirt factory: the industrial and economic lineage. People are looking at me bemusedly, but this stuff does matter.”
“Why is the SDLP talking about this?". We are doing so because it matters. These things matter, and we make no apology for talking about them. <BR /> <BR />I will come on to addressing some of the comments, but I want to set a broader historical and geographic context for why all this matters. The historical context is that, 60 years ago last month, the Lockwood report was published and brought to this Building when it housed the old Northern Ireland Parliament. It failed to deliver a university to Derry — or Londonderry, if you prefer — which is Northern Ireland's second city or the capital of Ireland's north-west or however you prefer to talk about that city. It failed that city at that point. That was part of a longer failure of that city but also the wider region, which includes Strabane and the wider north-west.”
“We are proud of our party's standing up for the wider north-west, with Derry at its heart, including Strabane, Coleraine and that whole wider region and, indeed, the wider cross-border region. We make no apology for putting this on the agenda here at Stormont today in a way that the north-west has not always been on the agenda at Stormont. I say that as a South Belfast representative but one who has Derry roots. My mum is from Derry. I know that city very well. It is part of me too. There is no contradiction in me being leader of the Opposition, a South Belfast MLA, someone who is originally from County Down and standing up for Derry and the wider north-west. I have no difficulty doing that at all, and I am slightly bemused to hear representatives stand up and say, "Why not this place? Why is the SDLP talking about that?”
“Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. What a useful and interesting debate we have had on the first motion of our SDLP Opposition day on job creation and cross-border cooperation in the north-west. There have been lots of constructive comments and a little bit of sniping. That is fine. We are the Opposition, and we do our own constructive, robust accountability for others, so, as it were, we can take it when others have criticisms for us. That is fine. I will address some of them. <BR /> <BR />Let me start by addressing one of the repeated things that came up a lot in the debate, which is, "Why just Derry?". First of all, this is about the wider north-west, and the motion is very clear about that. We have two excellent representatives for East Derry and West Tyrone, and they will speak today for the wider north-west.”