Debate contribution: Regional Balance Bill: Second Stage
Debate contribution by Ms Aoife Finnegan on .
- MLA
- Ms Aoife Finnegan
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 8 September 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Private Members' Business
- Heading
- Regional Balance Bill: Second Stage
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5674466
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I welcome the chance to speak on the Regional Balance Bill. Sinn Féin has a long-standing record of acknowledging and tackling the North's regional imbalance. It has always been one of our top priorities. Our Economy Minister, Caoimhe Archibald, has already begun to tackle regional imbalance through economic partnerships within all local council areas; focused investment from Invest NI pushing tourism into Fermanagh; and uplifting student numbers at Magee by 22%. Equally, Liz Kimmins, as Infrastructure Minister, has sought to tackle regional disparities through delivering road maintenance and major capital projects across the North. John O'Dowd continues to tackle regional imbalance through initiatives like the rural ATM rate relief scheme, which provides access to cash in rural areas. The work that has started needs to be continued, and more work needs to be progressed. Sinn Féin strongly supports the Bill's intention. We believe that it will need a lot of work to make it functional, however. Practical problems could ensue from the Bill as it is currently drafted, such as unnecessary duplication of work, which, in turn, would waste money that is already extremely tight under our financial constraints as the most underfunded devolved region. In some respects, the Bill sponsor misunderstands what regional imbalance actually is, particularly in rural areas. Not all areas need, or even want, the same things. There should be provision of more balanced access to jobs and investment across all constituencies, without the suggestion that every constituency needs an airport, for instance. It also remains unclear —.
Yes, go for it.
256 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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