Debate contribution: Bonfire Regulation

Debate contribution by Ms Aisling Reilly on 22 September 2025.

MLA: Ms Aisling Reilly
Party at the time: Sinn Féin
Date: 22 September 2025
Type: Debate contribution (made as a minister)
Business: Oral Answers to Questions
Heading: Bonfire Regulation
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 5123597

Text

I thank the Member for that question. The vast majority of people celebrate their culture safely and respectfully and work really closely with our communities to make sure that bonfires are family-friendly and are enjoyed by all. However, a small number of unregulated and illegal bonfires raise concerns about safety and the environmental impact and have effigies and racist and sectarian hate all over them, and they need to be challenged.
We need to prioritise our work on good relations, particularly through the Executive Office and other Departments. We have a real opportunity here through the T:BUC review, which includes FICT, and through the Urban Villages initiative, which is being reviewed by the Executive Office, to build on what actually works, tackle the remaining issues constructively and create conditions in which celebrations are safe, respectful and for everyone.

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

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