Debate contribution: Ireland and Northern Ireland — A Joint Census Publication 2021-2022

Debate contribution by Mr Philip McGuigan on 24 November 2025.

MLA

Mr Philip McGuigan

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

24 November 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Ireland and Northern Ireland — A Joint Census Publication 2021-2022

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5254596

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

It was clear from listening to the debate that, through the publication of the joint census, we now have a better all-island statistical picture. The joint census provides a coherent view of our population and allows us to compare social, demographic and economic trends on either side of the border. One of the most used words by almost everyone during the debate was "interconnectedness". I do not think that any of us could disagree that, on this island, there is a serious amount of growing interconnectedness. Members talked about various policy areas, such as the environment, education, animal health, the economy, tourism, trade, agri-food, regions and the north-west, and interconnectedness, particularly along border areas. That is why the debate is important. The use of the statistics that we have now is vital. I disagreed with Doug Beattie to a degree when he said that the census was just a "snapshot". Obviously, it presents a picture of the here and now. However, the purpose of census data is to allow policymakers and politicians to look at trends, predict into the future and prepare good policy and legislation that is based on good, appropriate, factual data. It is true to say that there were different levels of enthusiasm in the Chamber on how best we could use the data. There were probably different levels of common sense applied to arguments against the motion.

Some people see data and facts as a Trojan Horse for constitutional change. Some, including the DUP, think that we should ignore the data and what it tells us and try to make the North work better. Both miss the point, which is that, by using the data to make proper policy, we will represent people much better in the North. Matthew O'Toole said that he left the North for 20 years and came back to be a politician. I stayed and had no intention of becoming a politician; I see myself as a reluctant politician. I got involved in republican struggle for the simple reason that I wanted to improve people's lives. The DUP continually misunderstands what we are about. Sinn Féin and Irish republicanism is about improving people's lives. We see that through the prism of using data to provide services to the seven million people of the island. We think that, by doing that, we will improve the lives of everybody in the North, whether they vote for Sinn Féin or not. Timothy Gaston spent a good three or four minutes of his contribution talking about policies and decisions that were made by the British Government. Clearly, the British Government do not give a hoot about Timothy Gaston, the TUV, the DUP or Sinn Féin. They care not a hoot about the people on this island. We will probably see that again in the decisions that they take this Thursday in the Budget. That is why we should work together in the Chamber and across this island to make decisions about the people of this island. I am my party's health spokesperson, so I want concentrate on health for most of my contribution. As Matthew O'Toole said, it is becoming increasingly clear that the economics of this island are on a certain trajectory, regardless of the decisions that made here, quite frankly. Business people who are looking at what is happening across the island are not waiting for politicians to tell them about the direction of travel; they are making judgements and decisions in their best interests. Health is a particularly important area that people rightly want to see improvement in to improve their lives, but it will help with the argument about our constitutional trajectory. There is no area in which we can do more to improve people's lives by moving to an all-Ireland basis than we can through health. My party colleague Conor Murphy said the other day that lives can be saved and economic development created through the all-Ireland coordination of healthcare: I cannot argue with that. He made those comments after presentations in the Oireachtas by the All-Island Cancer Research Institute and the All-Island Congenital Heart Disease Network, neither of which involves any aspects of republicanism; they involve people who are promoting health policy and are trying to save people's lives and do the best for citizens. Those organisations and other groups are, by and large, increasingly coming to see the benefits of working together to improve things on an all-Ireland basis. The North/South-US cancer consortium, which was established in the aftermath of the Good Friday Agreement, has enabled over 40,000 patients to participate in clinical trials and has saved lives. The All-Island Cancer Research Institute has brought together 10 universities on this island to build a shared framework for cancer research that will save lives. The cross-border radiotherapy service at the North West Cancer Centre at Altnagelvin again demonstrates how shared services can meet the needs of the local population more effectively. As I said, the All-Island Congenital Heart Disease Network enables children across the island to receive world-class specialist cardiac care in a single centre while keeping diagnostics and follow-ups close to home. Those issues, on an island with seven million people, are examples of how we can provide the critical mass required for world-class research and pioneering medical techniques to be developed. The health information captured in the joint census publication gives us, for the first time in many years, a genuinely all-island view of population health.

It allows us to understand patterns of illness, disability, chronic conditions, caring responsibilities and age-related health pressures in a way that transcends any border.

The publication identifies challenges. My colleague Emma Sheerin said that we are talking not just about pinning the North's health service on to the Twenty-six Counties but about creating a genuinely improved all-island health service, just as we are talking about improving education, the economy, the environment and all other aspects.

I absolutely agree with those comments. Both health systems need to be improved, but it is clear, as was pointed out, that the South is currently ahead of us. It is ahead of us in life expectancy. Who does not want to live longer? It is ahead of us in addressing health inequalities and tackling waiting lists. Who does not want those particular problems to be solved? We know that we have particular challenges here. As my colleague said, the issues are not confined to one jurisdiction. The data that we have in front of us reflects the lived experience of people across this island, so it is not just about joining two systems together but about creating a better system. We had a Matter of the Day earlier about the Executive's response to COVID. Our Executive could have had a much better response to COVID if we on this island had worked on an island-wide basis. That would be the case with any global pandemic. Working as such would certainly strengthen the island's ability to respond to future public health scenarios. There was a lot of talk in the debate about the workforce and about the transient nature of people crossing the border in either direction. The data is extremely useful for giving us a clearer insight into workforce planning and how we can use it when making future policy decisions. On healthcare, for example, the data gives crucial insights into how to plan staffing needs for primary care in hospitals, mental health services and community care. I am a politician who wants to make decisions that improve people's lives. Evidence-based policymaking is clearly what we should all be looking to do, and the joint health data equips policymakers and politicians with the evidence that is needed to design better, targeted —

— and collaborative health interventions.

1,298 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 14:02 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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