Member's statement: Mid South West Growth Deal
Member's statement by Mr Colm Gildernew on .
- MLA
- Mr Colm Gildernew
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 17 September 2024
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Mid South West Growth Deal
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4536806
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I want to make a Member's statement on the deplorable and unacceptable announcement on the city deals that was made late last week — Friday night, actually. For context and because not all Members will know, the Mid South West region is a collaboration between Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council, Fermanagh and Omagh District Council and Mid Ulster District Council. The package that was being worked on and has been worked on very diligently by many people in those areas comprises a funding commitment of £252 million from the Executive and the British Government. To give context, the terms of agreement for that deal were to be signed in October; the invites were being prepared. All of that work was in place. The Mid South West region has 12 project proposals that have the potential to deliver additional jobs; drive growth in output and wages; increase visitor numbers and spend; and provide a population magnet, as further people are attracted to come to the region. Those economic benefits will be quantified in the process. In order to drive our public services, we clearly need to improve our economies. This is a central part of that process and must be considered in that context. The areas being looked at were enabling infrastructure, regeneration and tourism; boosting innovation; and digital capacity. The projects included robotics, automated packaging, an agro-bio innovation centre, a green energy district, innovation programmes and a huge industrial capacity around Desertcreat and Cookstown. To give further context, the Mid South West region makes up half of the land area of the North and is home to 26% of our population and 35% of our businesses. That is the scale of what we are talking about. It is also the longest border region by far, with 499 kilometres of the border corridor included in the area. Figures regarding gross disposable income show that we are 3% behind the average. That is an issue of huge concern. I want Members to consider the impact that the city and growth deal would have in a region that provides a huge economic engine for the entire area. We are proud of our engineering and manufacturing sector; it is world-leading. Our district is always looking for new opportunities, and people have been working diligently and assiduously to make that happen. It must happen. I know that the Finance Minister is working to address the issues, and I wish her every success in those efforts.
412 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.03 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.86).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.02 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.03 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.86 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.03 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-related subject | 0.98 |
| Constitutional question, Brexit, the Windsor Framework and sovereignty | 0.02 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:06 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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