Debate contribution: Exclusion of the First Minister from Office under Section 30 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998
Debate contribution by Mr Justin McNulty on .
- MLA
- Mr Justin McNulty
- Party at the time
- Social Democratic and Labour Party
- Date
- 12 October 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Assembly Business
- Heading
- Exclusion of the First Minister from Office under Section 30 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5786886
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Late in the night, 15 days ago, when the High Court overturned the earlier ruling to pause the hugely contentious march, we departed with a sense of disbelief and trepidation. When we arrived on the Garvaghy Road at about half past midnight, I experienced the foreboding atmosphere that was thick in the air, and I was taken aback by the look of determined and dignified defiance that I saw in the eyes of every one of the residents. Despite their fear, they stood resolute and determined to ensure that their children and grandchildren would not have to live through what they lived through. I was proud to stand side by side with the residents of the Garvaghy Road. Sometimes, the right thing to do is to stand your ground. After nearly two weeks, the British Secretary of State finally moved to ban the march, and we all breathed a collective sigh of relief that good sense had prevailed and that the heightened tension had been calmed. It must be said that these motions are a distraction from the real issues that people face here in the North. I call for a vote of no confidence in the Assembly for failing — failing to step in and protect maternity services at Daisy Hill Hospital and failing to ensure that expectant mothers do not face uncertainty and anguish over whether they will be able to give birth in their local hospital or be forced to travel bad roads for an hour or more while in labour. The real metric by which the First Minister and all Ministers here should be measured is their willingness and ability to reach across divides, to work together to save and to properly resource and fund services, including vital healthcare services that mothers and babies rely on in Newry, south Armagh and south Down. Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine.
In each other's shadow we survive, or, more metaphorically, we rely on each other for shelter from the storm.
334 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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