Debate contribution: Economy: Budget 2025-26
Debate contribution by Mr Conor Murphy on .
- MLA
- Mr Conor Murphy
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 20 January 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Economy: Budget 2025-26
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4744750
Read the official Assembly record
Text
As I said in response to a previous question, the expansion to 10,000 students for the Magee project was a New Decade, New Approach (NDNA) commitment. All parties that were turning into Executive parties at that stage were committed to it, as were both Governments, who also had a contribution to make in that regard, because both of them drafted that particular agreement. That commitment has now been absorbed into the Programme for Government. I have set up a task force to work on that, because, as I have said, it is not a matter of creating more spaces in the university but a matter of how the city accommodates the numbers. The Member, and others beside him, will know that the city itself has identified the growth of Magee as being a key catalyst for its overall economic performance and improvement. It is therefore a commitment, and I intend to honour it, and I expect other Departments and the Executive as a whole to assist me in honouring it. Thus far, we have got off to a good start. Programmes have been developed. There are more students there now than there were before. Land has been identified, while capital plans have been identified until, I think, 2032 in order to achieve the expansion. Of course, that good start has to be sustained and supported as we go on. Given the fact that it forms part of our Programme for Government, however, I would expect Executive support for doing so.
250 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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