Debate contribution: Sinn Féin Billboards: Illegal Erection

Debate contribution by Mr Stephen Dunne on 20 January 2026.

MLA

Mr Stephen Dunne

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

20 January 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Sinn Féin Billboards: Illegal Erection

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5348770

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I, too, commend my colleague Gareth Wilson for his maiden speech and welcome him to his position as an MLA. The motion is not about suppressing political opinion, nor is it about cultural expression or symbolism. It is about something far more important: respect for the rule of law, and also the duty on Ministers to uphold that law fairly, transparently and without fear or favour. Under the ministerial code of conduct, every Minister is required to:

"operate in a way conducive to ... good community relations and equality of treatment",

to avoid conflicts between public duty and private or party interest, and to uphold the seven principles of public life. That means taking decisions solely in the public interest, resolving conflicts openly and being as transparent as possible about decisions and actions. In Newry, however, those principles appear to have been abandoned. A permanent political billboard was unlawfully erected at the Egyptian Arch and surrounding locations without the consent of the landowner, which has been confirmed, without planning permission, which has been confirmed, and in clear breach of article 87 of the Roads (Northern Ireland) Order 1993. The Department for Infrastructure has confirmed that the structure is illegal. That confirmation is in black and white multiple times in correspondence and is publicly available. Officials have stated that those responsible were asked to remove it, but the billboard remains in place years later, as do a number of other billboards in close proximity. That failure to act —.

I thank my colleague for reinforcing that point, which was well made and accurate. The failure to act stands in marked contrast to how the law is enforced against everyone else. Businesses, householders, community organisations and many other groups across the Newry, Mourne and Down area and, indeed, right across Northern Ireland, including in my constituency of North Down, often receive warning letters threatening fines of thousands of pounds and daily penalties for unauthorised signage under the Planning Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 and advertisement regulations. Many of the signs involved are modest in nature and non-political, in stark contrast —.

Certainly.

Thank you, Mr Chambers. I concur with that, and it highlights the importance of everybody abiding by the law equally. The point is well made. As I said, many of the signs were modest and non-political. Enforcement is swift when it comes to ordinary people, but, when it comes to Sinn Féin erecting illegal displays on public land, active enforcement and removal appear to be optional. That is double standards, and it damages public confidence, despite what some in the Chamber may say today. The Infrastructure Committee has been forced to intervene again in the issue to seek basic information about who owns or erected the billboard, who would be legally responsible if it failed and caused injury or death — that point cannot be overlooked or brushed aside — what sanctions are available and what role Translink has played in any consultation, given the billboard's proximity to key railway infrastructure. There is also the point that some of my colleagues have mentioned about setting a precedent for allowing illegal structures to remain in place indefinitely. Most troubling of all is the Minister's continual refusal to answer a simple direct question: to whom were the Department's removal requests sent in 2023 and again in 2025, when the current Minister was in post? Was the request in a self-addressed envelope, or was it simply a case of return to sender? Perhaps the Minister will clarify that shortly. The Committee explicitly asked those questions, and the Minister has, unfortunately, chosen not to answer. That is simply unacceptable but, sadly, not surprising. Public roads, verges, bridges and rail infrastructure belong not to any political party, thankfully, but to the whole community in Northern Ireland. Ministers are custodians of that shared space, not arbiters who choose which laws to enforce. Many questions remain to be answered. Was it erected by Sinn Féin? Was the Minister aware of its erection? Did she recuse herself from decisions involving her party? Does she accept that allowing it to remain undermines the rule of law, confidence in her, as a Minister, and, importantly, in her Department? Respect for the law cannot be selective, and it is not optional. Enforcement cannot depend on political convenience. If Ministers expect the public to obey the law, they have the opportunity to lead by example, clearly, consistently and without exception. I commend the motion.

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

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 14:15 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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