Debate contribution: Legislation Programme 2025-26

Debate contribution by Mr Justin McNulty on 13 October 2025.

MLA

Mr Justin McNulty

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

13 October 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Executive Committee Business

Heading

Legislation Programme 2025-26

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5176130

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I will keep this short, as I know that some Members are trying to get off to the Northern Ireland match. The team had a great win on Friday, and I bet that the Member for North Belfast is now sorry that he tabled his anti-Irish language motion. I speak today with a deep sense of frustration that is shared by communities across the North. There is frustration at promises made and commitments repeated. Years later, delivery remains absent. We were told that the Programme for Government and the associated legislative programme would represent a new approach. It was to be one based on outcomes, collaboration and tangible progress, yet the gap between the Executive's commitments through their legislation programme and actual delivery could not be more stark. Nowhere is that more evident than in the failure of the legislative programme to advance major infrastructure projects that are not only long overdue but vital to our region's economic, environmental and social well-being. Let me begin with the A5 western transport corridor. The project was first proposed over 15 years ago. That critical arterial route was meant to better connect the north-west, save lives on a notoriously dangerous road and open up economic opportunities for one of our most neglected regions. The A5 remains in limbo, however. It is mired in consultations, legal challenges and delay after delay. Meanwhile, the communities that it was meant to serve are left waiting and mourning, as fatalities continue to mount. How can we speak of balanced regional development while such a major transport project remains stalled for over a decade? The Executive's so-called ambitious legislation programme is late and thin on delivery. What about our waste water infrastructure? The North is facing a crisis that threatens housing, investment and the environment. From Newtownards to Newry and on to small rural villages, waste water systems are at or beyond capacity. Developers are being told that they cannot build. Businesses are being denied opportunities. Raw sewage is being discharged into our rivers, lakes and seas. The Executive have known about our waste water infrastructure for years, yet strategic investment continues to be deferred. We remain dangerously behind the rest of the UK and Ireland in modernising that critical infrastructure. Sadly, the legislative programme is a symptom of an Executive who cannot agree, cannot prioritise and cannot deliver. Now consider the all-island rail review. It is a visionary proposal with the potential to reconnect communities, reduce our dependence on cars and slash emissions. The review report was published and welcomed, but, since then, what have we seen? A lot of goodwill but precious little commitment to action. The hourly Enterprise service is a huge success. It was something that I campaigned for vociferously since I was first elected. It remains one of the Executive's single big achievements. While the Republic of Ireland moves ahead with its rail ambitions, the North risks being left behind once again, still stuck using diesel trains, with crumbling stations and minimal connectivity west of the Bann. Sadly, much of what is in the legislative programme is a tidying-up exercise rather than a programme for change. There is then Casement Park. It was once a symbol of regeneration and inclusion, but it is now a monument to delay. It was promised, planned and even politically agreed, yet it has still not been built. With Euro 2028 gone, the Executive have squandered not just a major international sporting opportunity but their credibility. Casement Park should have been a beacon of progress, but it is instead a case study in dysfunction. When will Casement Park be built? The A5 project, waste water reform, rail connectivity, Casement Park, crumbling roads and bus safety are not isolated failures but symptoms of a legislative programme that is too often paralysed by division, walkouts, short-termism and administrative inertia. They represent commitments that were made to the people and not kept. We cannot afford to keep —.

No.

We cannot afford to keep kicking the cans down the road. Infrastructure is not a luxury; it is the foundation of a functioning, fair and forward-looking society. Delays cost money, yes, but, more than that, they cost lives, opportunity and public trust. I say this directly to the NI Executive: your legislative programme is only as credible as your ability to deliver it. The legislative programme exposes a lack of joined-up government, with key Departments —

— moving in isolation and —

— Ministers likely to be divided on —

— key areas of policy.

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle.

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

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:28 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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