Debate contribution: EU Office in Belfast
Debate contribution by Mr David Honeyford on .
- MLA
- Mr David Honeyford
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 12 January 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Private Members' Business
- Heading
- EU Office in Belfast
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5312151
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I absolutely agree. I will go back to this point, because it has been made multiple times and it is false. Way back when the Assembly had just returned, Invest NI said that it did not have an example at that time. Invest NI has now said that it has multiple examples of businesses that are already here and that are expanding. I can name four or five businesses in my constituency that employ people and that are growing. That is the fact of what is happening on the ground. I was at Leprino — it is currently in Upper Bann, but it will become part of Lagan Valley at the next election — and it has moved its base to Magheralin, because the cheese is now distributed and exported to GB and the South of Ireland because we have access. Leprino, which was Glanbia before it was bought over, has grown. Coca-Cola is on its second extension in Lisburn, and Monster has come to Lagan Valley because we have access to both GB and the South. It is gaslighting people to tell them that Invest NI said there are no such examples: it did not. As my colleague mentioned, Invest NI representatives, in answering a direct question by me, said that businesses are afraid to say that growth is because of dual market access, because it has been politicised by the TUV, DUP and the Ulster Unionists. That is the reason. That is what Invest NI said. When the chief executive was asked if it was the same for the South, his clear answer was that it was not. The issue has been politicised instead of our focusing on supporting our businesses and allowing our economy to grow to create jobs, employment and opportunities for the young people and all of us. We live on an island. We either share that —
The EU office in Belfast is part of enabling the business community to get the access that they need in order to export more. I support the motion.
341 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.12 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.80).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.75).
- Subject area: Constitutional question, Brexit, the Windsor Framework and sovereignty.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.10 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.07 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.14 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.08 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.80 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.12 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.75 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.08 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.10 |
| Adopts it | 0.07 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Constitutional question, Brexit, the Windsor Framework and sovereignty | 0.68 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.31 |
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.01 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 14:18 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
Disagree with this assessment?
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