Debate contribution: North/South Ministerial Council: Institutional and Plenary Meetings

Debate contribution by Ms Michelle O'Neill on 16 June 2026.

MLA

Ms Michelle O'Neill

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

16 June 2026

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Ministerial Statements

Heading

North/South Ministerial Council: Institutional and Plenary Meetings

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5623604

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Obviously, we are all deeply shocked and disturbed by what we saw on our streets last week, whether it was the horrific incident in north Belfast or, indeed, what happened afterwards. I agree that what we witnessed on our streets was reminiscent of the pogroms of previous decades. None of us wants to see that violence on our streets, and we all have a collective responsibility to be very strong in our political condemnation, standing firmly together as political parties and saying no to racism in our society. Throughout last week, we had a response that was initially led by the PSNI. It dealt with the unrest on our streets and the incident on Monday night. The Executive met on two occasions last week. Equally, we had a number of cross-party statements to ensure that we all collectively condemned what had happened on our streets, and we have been actively working with all partner agencies. I have been to our hospitals with the deputy First Minister to meet our healthcare workers, and I have been on the ground in north Belfast to meet our community workers. Just yesterday evening, we met our racial equality subgroup to discuss its concerns and what it is hearing directly from the communities, including identifying any gaps. We are absolutely determined to ensure that we plug those gaps. We have been looking for some time at the whole issue of community cohesion and what more we can do about it, because it will take all of us working together to ensure proper, good community cohesion across the board. We are looking at short-, medium- and longer-term interventions. As I said, we met the racial equality subgroup yesterday to identify the gaps in communication, which was an issue that was raised with us. Protecting people is a policing responsibility, in the main, but we all have a role to play. That is why our Executive were working consistently throughout last week to respond to what was happening on our streets.

The Narrow Water bridge is one of the most exciting examples of all-island cooperation. I was pleased to discuss the project at the NSMC and to receive an update. As the Member suggested, the bridge will deliver real and tangible benefits; it will be a new landmark and a game changer for tourism in South Down and the wider Newry and Mourne community. It will further transform and enhance connectivity, which can only support the local tourism and hospitality sectors in particular. The Department for Infrastructure has worked closely with the Irish Government since early 2022, and it chaired the Narrow Water bridge subcommittee group that has led to the implementation of the bridge plan that has allowed it to progress to this stage. I am pleased to say that significant progress is being made. I commend the work of Minister Kimmins and her counterpart in the South, who have worked with Louth County Council and the local council to ensure that the project comes to fruition. It will be only a short time until we will gladly be there for the official opening of the project. It has been a long time in the making, but it is finally getting to the delivery point.

We are all absolutely committed to making sure that the A5 and the A4 are built. Those roads are a necessity. When we speak about the A5 in the House, we are often talking about it in the aftermath of a tragedy on that road. It is long beyond time that we get that road built. The Executive are having the same challenges with infrastructure projects as other Governments across the world. We have actively discussed how we can remove any barriers that impede capital projects. If a capital project takes 15 years to be built after it is announced, the cost will be substantially different. We have to deal with all the issues that get in the way of our projects. However, there is no doubt in my mind that the Executive and all the political parties in the House are committed to ensuring that the A5, the A4 and other major capital projects are built. I have previously said clearly in the House that we have to look at the barriers and find ways to go around them.

I assure the Member that it is an ongoing discussion, because I concur with him: the institutions must pay. Unfortunately, as Members are aware, there has been a varying degree of response from the different institutions. Given that the Irish Government were ahead of us with their programme, their experience and learning should be applied to what we do. We should not try to recreate the wheel. If something works, we should pick it up; if something does not work, we should find an alternative way. It remains an ongoing conversation, as does our engagement with the various institutions about what they need to come forward with. I thank the Committee for its particular interest in that.

Given the global volatility right now, that remains a discussion at a lot of the sectoral meanings. We certainly had a good discussion about our economy and its potential, including its potential for growth. We also discussed the challenges, one of which is the uncertainty resulting from tariffs. Tariffs are now being used more frequently, meaning that there is less predictability for our economy, which creates trouble when we are planning for the future. That uncertainty is acutely felt right across our island. There is no doubt that the US is an important trade and investment partner for us. We want to continue to support opportunities for our businesses in the US market, but recent developments with tariffs and counter-tariffs mean that we can get caught in the middle. We have to continue to make the case for our economy here, and we will remain focused on the issue with the Irish Government as we move through the volatile times in which we are living.

I referred to some figures in the statement. The recent combined figures for trade in goods and services between the jurisdictions showed a total value of £14·5 billion in 2024. That demonstrates that the continued growth of the all-island economy presents a major opportunity for our communities here and for many businesses across the North. The Member is therefore right to highlight the work that is being done to promote the all-island economy, such as the work of InterTradeIreland to maximise growth. The work that it does on driving cross-border collaboration, on supporting small to medium-sized enterprises and innovation, on facilitating trade and market access, on helping companies to access new markets and on sharing knowledge and leverage opportunities really strengthens the economy and is a key driver of economic growth. Similarly, Tourism Ireland, as the body responsible for promoting the island as a leading global tourism destination, plays a critical role in supporting economic growth, job creation and balanced regional development. It helps promote economic growth through its support of sustainable benefits for SMEs and communities, of business events, of strategy and competitiveness, of productivity and of market diversification. All of that points to the fact that dual market access strengthens our competitiveness and creates opportunities for exporters and investors alike.

It was a good-news story to be in Grand Central station to welcome that development, because it is so huge and will be so significant for all-island connectivity. Ministers from across the island came to celebrate what was such a positive occasion. It is therefore vital that we continue to work together. As the Member said, it is a significant investment in monetary terms: £500 million. We will see additional trains, and there are hourly connections. That investment is making a positive and meaningful difference, and we want to replicate it right across the island. The statistics on the increased numbers of people travelling speak for themselves. They show that the better that we are connected across the island, the more beneficial that that will be for jobs and tourism equally. Minister Kimmins will continue to work with her counterpart in the South to deliver on the strategy, because rail represents a real opportunity to bolster our thriving all-island economy and to connect communities, as well as to decarbonise our transport network.

1,385 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:47 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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