Pádraig Delargy
Foyle · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“I echo what other Members have said. Compassion is at the heart of the regulations, which are about understanding and ensuring that parents and families who have suffered the most heartbreaking and unimaginable grief are supported through one of the most difficult times in their lives.”
“The regulations have been extended to ensure that they also apply to parents who have lost a child through miscarriage and that parental bereavement leave is now a day-1 employment right.”
“Why are the public appointments and equality processes important in employment? They are particularly important here in the North, for one simple reason. It is because for so many years, even decades, the unionist Government stopped Catholics, nationalists and republicans from having any access to public appointments and jobs.”
“I start by going to the very heart of the motion and many of the comments that have been made around the Chamber today. The process for public appointments to Invest NI was fair, open, accountable and transparent. It was based on merit and ability.”
“It is a generation that is deeply proud of all those who ensured that we can enjoy the freedom that the unionist Government denied them. My generation will not lie down, will not acquiesce and will not allow regressive change. It will not return to the inequality, the suppression and all the other elements of the unionist state.”
“This is the same SDLP that voted to disbar any republican prisoners from the position of special adviser — the same SDLP that, when another nationalist or, God forbid, a republican, takes the office of First Minister, suddenly wants that title taken away.”
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“As the Minister knows, more and more people have had their electricity supply affected by extreme weather over recent years. Will the Minister update us on the Utility Regulator's consultation on payments to people who have been affected?”
“The First Minister will be very aware that, in my constituency, in Derry, people's reality of the British Army is enshrined by the fact that 14 people were murdered on the streets of my city on Bloody Sunday, and many more were injured. That has been the impact of the British Army in my city. When the British Government defended those soldiers in court with £4·3 million of public money, that was very clearly a role that they took on. Therefore, can the First Minister confirm that this is not the responsibility of this Assembly but of the British Government?”
“I thank the Minister for bringing this to the House today, because, at its core, the Bill is about ensuring that the insolvency framework in the North remains modern, fair and aligned with best practice. Insolvency law may not always — apologies: I will be speaking on that subject tomorrow.”
“Minister, the Committee recently heard from InterTradeIreland about the valuable work that it does, including some of the programmes that it runs to increase all-Ireland trade. Will you give us some more detail on those programmes and any future programmes that will enhance all-Ireland trade?”
“Those attitudes do not reflect the majority of citizens in the North, and Catherine Connolly, our president, will be very welcome to return to Derry, Belfast and any other part of our country.”
“humility, of how she took time to listen and of a real sense of pride and confidence in her leadership. <BR /> <BR />Catherine Connolly pledged to be a president for all, and her visit to the North reflects that. She carried out her leadership in a dignified manner with her characteristic decorum. Our society would be a much better place if more people showed the same dignity and respect as Catherine Connolly. In stark contrast to the president's positive and strong leadership, we had the belligerent attitude of the DUP, particularly the East Derry MP, Gregory Campbell, which reflects disrespect not only towards our president but to the wider nationalist community and, indeed, all those who hold an Irish identity. It shows deep disrespect to all those who stray outside the DUP's very narrow world view.”
“President Connolly also visited the Siege Museum, recognising that, for many from a traditionally unionist background, that represents a significant space. Her visit symbolised the inclusion and mutual respect that must be afforded to all communities. Every person with whom I spoke talked of an t-uachtarán's”
“campaigned for her presidency on the basis that the office of president is one for all the people of Ireland and that she would use her role to be a leader for communities across our country. A landslide victory in her election, with her message of a positive and progressive vision, vindicated that. <BR /> <BR />The president committed to lead from the front, in word and deed, to represent the voices of all Irish citizens. I had the pleasure of welcoming her to a number of functions in Derry. She met business and civic leaders in our Guildhall before meeting the families of those murdered and injured on Bloody Sunday. The president spoke with compassion, understanding and an appreciation of what the Bloody Sunday families have endured and their role in inspiring others to stand up and demand truth and justice.”
“, Catherine Connolly, to the North: a momentous occasion of pride and significance across our society. An t-uachtarán”
“I rise to mark the first official visit of Uachtarán na hÉireann”
“Minister, you have outlined some of the key work that you have already done on the issue, but improving skills and workforce planning are at the heart of any reform. What has your Department done, and what plans do you have, to reskill, upskill and make sure that the Civil Service is future-proofed?”
“<BR /> <BR />Over the next two years, the Department will look at eight pieces of legislation, compared with one in the last 10 years. The most significant legislation is the 'good jobs' Bill, which has the opportunity to transform the lives of workers across the North. This is about fair pay, fair conditions, better union representation and a raft of other positive legislation for ordinary people. I commend the work that is being done in the Department, and I look forward to seeing much more over the coming years.”
“<BR /> <BR />The approach taken by Minister Murphy and Minister Archibald is about supporting communities and ensuring that ordinary people and ordinary communities feel the benefit of economic growth in the North. It is about putting people and communities first. In my city, in the last two years, we have seen a 22% growth in the number of students studying at Magee. That benefits those students, but it also benefits our entire city, because we are now creating an educational ecosystem in which people can study in Derry, live in Derry, work in Derry and build a life in Derry. That is true transformation, and it is the true meaning of regional balance, because, when we create better opportunities for people across our society, it benefits everybody.”
“I welcome the publication of the Department for the Economy's two-year progress report, which provides a clear overview of delivery across the North in the last two years. There are many things contained in that report, mainly around supporting economic growth, increasing skills provision, promoting regional balance, increasing apprenticeships and skills programmes and supporting local businesses to grow and innovate. An important strand of the work has been the Department's focus on regional balance, including delivery through initiatives such as Hidden Heartlands that recognise the economic potential of rural and border communities and support economic development beyond urban centres.”
“This conversation needs to be contextualised within all that. Clubs come to us regularly that are struggling for funding to be able to have the resources and facilities to grow and evolve in the current climate. We therefore need to contextualise the conversation, but I thank the Members who tabled this useful motion for debate.”
“In my constituency, Jason Smyth is a multiple Paralympic gold medalist. We also have Katie Mullan, who made her debut with the Irish national hockey team in 2012 and was appointed captain in 2017. In football, there is the Ryan McBride Stadium, which is now the Derry City Stadium in the Brandywell. From a very local point of view, I say that James McClean has now returned to our club, and hopefully we will see much more success. <BR /> <BR />It is about honouring people from right across the sporting family and ensuring that all their voices are heard. The main point is to honour what they have achieved, but it is about looking to the future as well. What I hear from sports clubs in my constituency — I am sure that other Members hear it as well — is about the need to look at the here and now and to look to the future.”
“For instance, the GAA Museum at Croke Park generates €2·3 million in revenue. There are 40 members of staff, and 15 others employed in the museum's skyline tours. Those are the kinds of comparables that we need to be looking at. That needs to be done not in isolation, however, but by looking at the sport environment that we have. <BR /> <BR />That brings me to the history of sport and inclusion. As somebody with a degree in history, for me, it is most important that we look at people who have been written out of history or often overlooked. In museums, that has been the case over recent decades, and, during the past decade in particular, that issue has been looked at and reviewed. A number of Members talked about the inclusion of Paralympians and women in sport, and that is imperative in any conversation.”
“I thank the Members for tabling the motion. I welcome it, and there is definitely merit in looking at that, as other Members have said, and exploring the opportunities and seeing what works best. We all know that, right across our society, sports have a huge impact and an ability to inspire. There is obviously real economic and social value to such a museum in supporting tourism, hospitality and regeneration, as Ms Mulholland mentioned, and in creating employment opportunities, not just during the construction stage but in the design and through education, hospitality and so on. Done properly, it could be a huge and lasting benefit in preserving sporting history. <BR /> <BR />As my colleague Mr Gildernew said, there is precedence. What we need to do in any of these situations is to look at best practice and what works well.”
“Minister, for your statement. You talked about £10 million that can be unlocked to support small businesses. Members can do that by supporting the draft Budget that you have introduced. Will you update Members on your plans for and in that draft Budget and on how we, as Members, can support you to continue to support small businesses?”
“I thank the Minister for her work in this area, about which she is passionate. Will the Minister provide an update on the skills action plan?”
“We do, but we need to look at economic inactivity, because it is one of the key barriers that holds back people here. I say this to the Member: I agree with you in part, but you should be championing all-Ireland benefits to business in your constituency just as much as I do in mine. <BR /> <BR />I also note that we talked about legislation. The Economy Minister is introducing eight pieces of legislation in this mandate, compared with one in the past 10 years. <BR /> <BR />I am tight for time. Just to conclude, the report is hugely beneficial. It offers huge policy opportunities, and it shows the benefits of collaboration, cooperation and working together.”
“They certainly do not chime with any of the economic data that I have seen. Ms McLaughlin talked about the synergies and the productivity of SMEs, and those things are really beneficial. We need to hear about them and look at what we can do better. On Mr O'Toole's and Ms McLaughlin's points —.”
“<BR /> <BR />We talked about having more fiscal powers and fiscal levers. They were mentioned by the Minister and Mr O'Toole. We looked at the fact that the fiscal framework and the Fiscal Commission report were produced in 2022. Some of the things that we would like to see the benefits of are the apprenticeship levy, partial income tax, stamp duty and airport duty, to name just a few. I am happy to hear whether anyone has any objections to those. We need to support our businesses by ensuring that those with the broadest shoulders can carry and support people in the North and that those burdens do not fall back on constituents. <BR /> <BR />Mr Burrows cited stats on unemployment. I have not seen those, but I am happy to give way to the Member if he wants to clarify them.”
“A number of points were made about listening to industry and supporting further education. Obviously, Minister Archibald has already taken steps to do that and has continually supported the skills pipeline. We will continue to see more of that and support it as well. <BR /> <BR />Regional balance was brought up on numerous occasions in the debate. The ESRI report shows the benefits of that. It shows the benefits across Ireland, but particularly in regions such as mine, which have lost out not just because of political decisions taken here at Stormont prior to the Good Friday Agreement but because of decisions taken in the South that meant that the border communities suffered. We have an opportunity now to rectify that, work together and support our economy right across the island.”
“That does not exclude anyone: it is inclusive, and it promotes trade across the board.”
“I have heard from many businesses that have invested in Derry that they have access to Ministers continuously, that they feel supported by the economic vision and that they see the economic benefits of investing here. Not only do they invest here but they stay here and build. I think that the Member and other members of the Committee should champion that. <BR /> <BR />I will move on to the points that were made by Alliance Members. David and Kate made some great points. Kate, you are a real champion of data, which has been at the core of all the arguments today. This is about informing better policy and better opportunities. To come back to the original point, David highlighted the fact that this is not zero-sum politics. It is a fact that east-west trade has also grown. We want trade to grow for every area, with every region.”
“The Member has continually made that argument, and he has heard continually from businesses that have presented to the Economy Committee, on which we both sit, that they do not want to raise the issue of the benefits of the Windsor framework, because it has been politicised by his party and others. The reality is that it is one of a myriad of issues and one of a plethora of opportunities to explain why businesses open here. There is not one singular reason why any business opens here; there is a combination of reasons, including the fact that we have a world-class education system, that we have opportunities for all-Ireland trade and that we support our businesses.”
“When representatives from Invest NI presented to the Committee, they told us, in no uncertain terms, that the reason that businesses are not talking up the Windsor framework opportunity is that they are afraid to, and that the reason that they are afraid is that the Windsor framework is continually politicised by unionism. That is not good enough. Everyone in the Chamber needs to work together and push in the same direction to properly support our businesses.”
“You are ignoring opportunities for businesses, you are ignoring opportunities for economic growth and you continue to do what you do regularly, which is to bury your head in the sand. <BR /> <BR />When we look at the opportunity for all-Ireland trade, we also look at what has happened here in the North. Many of you have talked about the barriers that the Windsor framework apparently presents. However, the reality is that the majority of you voted for Brexit and championed Brexit. The Windsor framework is the opportunity that has resulted in economic benefit in the North. It has protected our businesses and constituents and has continued to show economic growth and upward economic trends.”
“Let no one feel that it is about taking away from what we have; it is about adding to that, enhancing and augmenting what is there already. I will go through some of the figures to back that up. In 2001, all-Ireland trade was €3·1 billion in the South and £1·9 billion in the North. In 2015, those figures were fairly flat and static. The 2024 figures show a comparative figure of €10·6 billion in the South and £9 billion in the North. Those figures speak for themselves, and the only ideological arguments on that today have come from the unionist Benches, because the reality is that those Members are ignoring economic opportunity for people across Ireland — that goes for your constituents as much as it does mine.”
“We must, therefore, grasp any opportunity that we can to make more informed and better policy decisions and to work collaboratively across Ireland. The North West Cancer Centre is just one example of our doing that. Members across the Chamber worked to make that a reality, and it now delivers world-class, leading healthcare in the north-west — healthcare for people in Derry, Donegal, Tyrone and further afield. Everyone benefits from closer cooperation. <BR /> <BR />Some of the reactions from the unionist Benches to the debate have been disappointing, and I disagree with them. They have tried to present this as a zero-sum game. That is not the case. It is not about talking down any trade or economic opportunity but talking up all-Ireland economic opportunities. That is what we can do when we work together: we can achieve far more.”
“Of all the key words that have been used in today's debate, the most important one is "collaboration". It is about how we do things better when we work together. As Members across the Chamber have mentioned, good data leads to good decisions being made. It is about creating well-paid jobs and a sustainable economy that is based on the Minister's economic vision. <BR /> <BR />The disparity in disposable income and life expectancy across Ireland is related to a number of factors, one of which, in particular, is partition. That is related to the fact that, in my constituency and in other border constituencies, there are fewer options for healthcare and employment. Those regions in particular have a lower life expectancy.”
“I thank all those who participated in the debate, which has been really interesting. I will go through some of the points in more detail, but, first, I want to look at the context for the debate. The ESRI report is a significant and timely piece of work, not least because it measures economic trends on an all-Ireland basis and reflects how our economy operates, but because it is grounded in robust data on productivity, labour markets, skills, infrastructure and regional performance. That is the evidence that should be central to how decisions are made going forward. <BR /> <BR />The data shows that the all-Ireland economy is not only real but growing. InterTradeIreland figures demonstrate that cross-border trade has increased significantly in recent years, reaching record levels and supporting tens of thousands of jobs across this island.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-Leas-Cheann Comhairle.”
“Minister, have you considered any plans to support businesses that may wish to expand?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. The Member seems to have missed the point of the motion. The motion is about cooperation; it is not about taking away or reducing our east-west relationships. It is about enhancing all-Ireland relations and economic opportunity. For example, in 2021 —.”
“Sinn Féin Ministers will continue to build that future and lead that change.”
“It is about listening to residents and making sure that the expansion of Magee reaches all communities. We need everyone on board to do that, because it is an Executive commitment. Of course, it will deliver change in Derry and the north-west, but it will create change in further and higher education right across Ireland. <BR /> <BR />I thank the task force and Ulster University for their commitment to delivery and expansion in Derry because without that commitment, none of this would have happened. Sinn Féin Ministers continue to deliver and prioritise the north-west and ensure that regional balance is not just something on paper but is felt in all our communities. This is an exciting time for everyone, particularly for students who now have the opportunity to study, work, live and build a life in Derry.”
“We are on track to reach 10,000 students by 2032. It is a clear sign of Sinn Féin's commitment to Derry and the north-west to unlock the potential of our city, because Sinn Féin Ministers have been key drivers for the north-west and have created true regional balance. <BR /> <BR />My grandparents were part of the campaign to create expanded and proper provision in Magee College, and my generation now has a chance to realise the benefits of that. We have a Minister, Caoimhe Archibald, who is from Derry and delivering for Derry, and our city is changing. It is transforming for the future, and that is a future for all. The expansion and transformation of Magee must reach all communities. That is why Sinn Féin, through the Department for the Economy, has set up an expert working group to support the delivery of student accommodation.”
“Since February 2024, the number of students at Magee has increased by 22% and now stands at 6,500.”
“Sinn Féin therefore calls on Westminster and the European Union to engage positively with the proposal, work with the Executive and Invest NI and explore how an EU office in the North could —”
“For international investors, particularly those seeking a foothold in both markets, that clarity matters. For local firms, especially those in border regions and the north-west, having direct access to EU expertise locally would be transformative. It would help firms to scale up, diversify their exports and build resilience in the face of wider economic uncertainty. <BR /> <BR />The proposal is about partnership. Having an EU office here would ensure that the lived economic realities of businesses and workers were better understood within EU institutions, and it would strengthen North/South cooperation and support the continued development of the all-Ireland economy, which benefits communities across the island. At a time when our economy needs certainty, confidence and growth, it is a sensible, constructive and forward-looking proposal.”
“An EU office in Belfast would act as a single accessible point of engagement, offering guidance, clarity and direct support. It would complement the work already being done through Invest NI and other agencies. Together, they could form a strong hub that supports local businesses looking outwards to Europe while supporting international firms that are looking inwards to the North. <BR /> <BR />That also speaks to our international reputation, because the North of Ireland has a compelling story to tell: unique dual market access to the British and EU markets, a proven export base, world-class universities and a growing, innovative economy. Having an EU office here would reinforce and augment that sales pitch internationally. It would send a clear signal that the region is connected, credible and open for business.”
“Those relationships demonstrate trust and potential, and they can and should be deepened. In October 2024, an article published in the 'The European' stated:”
“Recent InterTradeIreland statistics show that trade has risen from €2·8 billion and €1·9 billion respectively in 2015 to €10·6 billion and €9 billion respectively in 2024. If we are serious about economic growth, we need to be pragmatic, put our ideological blinkers to one side and recognise that all-Ireland trade and dual market access drive markets forward, increase our economy and create a uniquely advantageous position for the people of the North. <BR /> <BR />We can already see, through the work of Invest NI, strong and growing trading relationships with the European Union. Local companies export advanced manufacturing goods, agri-food products, life sciences, software and digital services to EU markets. EU firms continue to invest here, attracted by our skilled workforce, strong research base and established supply chains.”
“No, thank you. <BR /> <BR />Fortunately, we have two Sinn Féin MEPs, who continue to stand up for the people of the North in Europe. <BR /> <BR />Fast-forward 10 years, and the necessary steps have been put in place to mitigate the worst excesses of Brexit. The Windsor framework is now an established part of our economic and trading landscape. Nowhere else in these islands or in Europe has the dual market access that exists in the North. That is not a theoretical advantage; it is a practical advantage that many businesses already make use of. <BR /> <BR />The best way of monitoring the benefits is by looking at the growth in all-Ireland trade and trade with other countries in Europe.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak on the motion and, indeed, to focus on the economic benefits of an EU office. In 2016, the people of the North voted to remain in Europe. They voted to stay and to have access to the benefits that it brought: increased economic opportunity through the single market and European funding pots; social and educational opportunities through Erasmus and myriad other skills programmes; a shared identity; and an opportunity for true reconciliation for all the people of Ireland. Our democratic mandate was ignored and undermined by a Tory Government supported by the TUV, the DUP and, of course, People Before Profit.”
“I thank the Minister for bringing forward a progressive draft Budget that prioritises people and skills. On skills, will he provide some more detail on what his proposed Budget will do for the continued expansion of the medical school at Magee?”
“Minister, Derry City Football Club is a thriving club, but your Department left it out of the football fund. What will you do to support Derry City Football Club and the other clubs that were excluded from your fund?”
“<BR /> <BR />As the European Parliament considers establishing an observer mechanism for the North, this is an important moment. It recognises that we did not choose Brexit but had it imposed on us; acknowledges our unique position; and gives locally elected representatives a direct voice on decisions that affect our economy, rights and young people's futures. <BR /> <BR />Our message is clear: Ireland belongs in Europe. We should not be disadvantaged because of decisions made in London that have been forced on us. Our businesses thrive through having European access. Our young people need European opportunities, and we will continue working for a future in which those connections are strengthened and fully restored.”