Debate contribution: Job Creation and Cross-border Cooperation in the North-west

Debate contribution by Mr Gary Middleton on 4 March 2025.

MLA

Mr Gary Middleton

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

4 March 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Opposition Business

Heading

Job Creation and Cross-border Cooperation in the North-west

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4833327

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I very much welcome the opportunity to discuss the north-west, job creation and our economy. I speak as somebody who was born and bred in Londonderry and who is very proud of the place that I represent. I have now been elected for 15 years and have served in the council and here at the Assembly. It gives me great pleasure to see some of the changes in my constituency. There has been huge change since 2010 not just in the transformation of the landscape but in the fact that young people now have opportunities that I did not have just a number of years ago. My colleague Mr Brett outlined our party position on our amendment, which I believe strengthens the motion. The city deal is the single biggest UK Government investment in our city — it is over £300 million — and not mentioning it is a glaring omission from the motion. The city deal project is a catalyst. It does not solve all the ills, but it is a game changer for development in our city and in some of the innovative projects that we will see come forward, not least the expansion of Magee university. It is important to highlight another issue in the SDLP's contribution. One member of that party mentioned:

"change is rarely delivered by those in power"

here at the Assembly or in Belfast. That is a fundamental mistake. In fact, when we look over the years that the Assembly was in operation, we see that the change has been transformational, not least in the Waterside at Ebrington, with the new hotel that has been built, the innovative businesses that are on-site and the Derry/Londonderry North Atlantic (DNA) maritime museum, which is to come on field fairly soon. That collaboration, which has involved working among ourselves as elected representatives in the Assembly and working closely with Londonderry Chamber of Commerce, the strategic growth partnership and Invest NI, will deliver change and make a real difference. I very much share the concern of my colleague from East Londonderry Mr Bradley about the north-west package and making sure that the north-west goes right along and includes the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council area. It has a significant part to play in growing the north-west economy. When we look at measures to grow the economy across Northern Ireland and talk about task forces, we need to ensure that every part of Northern Ireland grows and that we succeed in creating the maximum potential right across Northern Ireland. I will turn to some of the contributions. As I said, Ms McLaughlin, in opening, talked about the need for special intervention. I do not doubt that we need special intervention across a number of areas where there are clearly particular problems, as identified in the regional balance report. My colleague Mr Brett highlighted the success of the city deal investment that this party proudly championed. Pádraig Delargy talked about the role that his party played in realising the change in the airport, the upgrade of the A5 and other pieces of infrastructure. Such cross-party working is vital for ensuring that each Department delivers within its particular roles and responsibilities. Kate Nicholl said that the pace of delivery is slow but recognised her party's belief that there are opportunities in dual market access. Diana Armstrong spoke on the same theme but also highlighted the fact that, if a specific task force were set up for the north-west, there would be an impact on her constituency, and she considered what that would mean. I very much share her concerns. As someone who represents the north-west, I think that it is important that other areas in the west are not left behind. My colleague Mr Bradley talked about the importance of his constituency, and I commend him for being a tireless champion for that area. It is regrettable that he seemed to be the only one who talked about the East Londonderry constituency during the debate. My colleague Mr Honeyford from the Alliance Party talked about the Shared Island approach on key issues. As a party, we will not shy away. Where there are opportunities to work together, we need to do that but, obviously, not with a particular political agenda. My time has run out.

721 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:05 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

Disagree with this assessment?

Classifications can be challenged. A person reads every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.

Challenge this classification