Debate contribution: Illegal Billboards in Newry

Debate contribution by Ms Liz Kimmins on 16 February 2026.

MLA

Ms Liz Kimmins

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

16 February 2026

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Questions for Urgent Oral Answer

Heading

Illegal Billboards in Newry

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5391754

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I have not received any correspondence about any billboard or about who does or does not own it. Nothing has been sent to me. I do not know whether Justin wants to try to break the record for how many times someone can say "illegal Sinn Féin billboard" in one contribution, but he has clearly not driven past it, because my understanding is that no billboard is in place at this time and has not been. When a motion on the matter was debated in the Chamber, I said very clearly that whatever was there has been removed. There was a different billboard — a community billboard — there at Christmastime, which was about an issue that is very important to the people of Newry and Armagh and to people across the globe. I can speak only to the information that I have and to my understanding of the situation.

My first question to the Member is whether this is just about republicans. That is certainly the tone of the question. I have said and will reiterate that the matter highlights the need to look at proper regulation of how we manage all those things. Not so long ago, we were talking about illegal bonfires with hate messages and sectarian messages on them. Let us have the conversation, if that is what we are talking about. It seems that it is all going in one direction. I have stated categorically that the billboard that was previously mentioned is no longer in place. I cannot talk about something that is in the past; it has gone. We are talking about the present, so let us look at the facts.

As the Member rightly said, councils have primary responsibility for planning enforcement in their area and are therefore best placed to determine whether enforcement action is appropriate under the Planning Act 2011, which provides a wide range of planning enforcement powers. If the council considers that there has been a breach of planning control, it may take enforcement action. If an investigation is under way, let us see the outcome of that.

Yes, absolutely, and rightly so. As I have outlined, the health and safety approach that my officials followed in this case applies to everything. I have reiterated time and again the process that is in place. Officials have rightly taken action at an operational level; that should be impartial and be taken following the proper procedures that are in place.

As I have said previously, we should all look at the planning legislation and follow it properly. Where enforcement action can be taken, the council can take it, as referenced by the Member who spoke previously.

Absolutely not. As I have said clearly, that policy should be applied consistently across the board. If there are examples of it not being applied consistently and they are taking things down that do not meet the criteria that I have outlined, provide those examples and I will deal with them, because —

The Member should let me finish. As I said in my previous answer, that was assessed, and the departmental officials deemed it a low risk. I can speak only to the information that is provided for me by the officials.

Absolutely, and this matter highlights the importance of that point. A consistent approach should be taken across all those issues. Week in, week out, we have debates about flags and bonfires: that is not what I want to talk about or what my constituents want me to talk about. They want me to talk about what we are doing to improve our roads, how we are upgrading the waste water infrastructure, what we are doing about our healthcare system and how we are improving education for our children. If we can cut out those debates and deal with the things that are important to the people whom we represent, we should do that.

I have not been made aware of any direct assessment as to its legality or not in terms of me. I am aware that the issue has been raised in the House. I have given the answer on what has happened to date, what action officials have taken, where it is at now and the fact that there is no Sinn Féin billboard now and the issue has moved on. In fact, I am told that there is nothing there at present.

That is an allegation: you are insinuating that I paid somebody to advertise, which is quite a damning thing. If we are going to mess about and play at politics, let us get serious and get the facts right.

As I have said very clearly, any correspondence that happened to date since that letter was issued in November states that the billboard that the Member refers to has since been removed. Where we are now is that we are talking about something that happened in the past. I do not know whether the Member across the Chamber thinks that I go around putting up billboards in my spare time: that is certainly not something that is important to me.

Well, that is the thing. Look, the Member can cast whatever aspersions he wants. I have laid out clearly the facts around the situation. I have laid out clearly what action my Department has taken in line with the procedures and processes that have been there for some time, and that is where it is.

Absolutely, for all of the reasons that have been widely discussed here, it is important that officials at operational level have the powers and the authority to take appropriate action and can do so in the right manner. That is why they have done what they have done without my input or engagement.

I am not aware of dates or anything like that. I just know that, when I passed it, it had gone and there was a different billboard in place. There is nothing in place now. I cannot give you exact dates because I have no input into that.

I absolutely agree. Time and again, we show the people what is important to some in the Chamber. Certainly, that is not where my focus is, and I continue to ensure that we do the best for the people whom we represent.

As I said, correspondence was issued from my Department, and, since then, the billboard has been removed. I do not know what more you want me to say about that.

1,081 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Second assessment

Jev’s answers did not settle this record, so a second model, claude-opus-5-5, read the same text (without the MLA’s name or party) and gave its reasons on 21 October 2026. How the second assessment works

Verdict

Not flagged

Public interest or divisiveness

Mainly advances the public interest

Against the published rubric

The text is a minister's answers to an urgent question, and most of it deals with process: council responsibility for planning enforcement under the Planning Act 2011, officials' health and safety assessment, and a commitment that policy "should be applied consistently across the board." There is a brief counter-point asking "whether this is just about republicans" and contrasting the issue with "illegal bonfires with hate messages," which edges towards communal tit-for-tat. However, it is framed as an argument for consistent regulation rather than as an attack on a community. The rest of the text rebuts allegations against the speaker personally and does not promote hostility to any group.

Public interest or divisiveness

The main function is to answer scrutiny, setting out what action was taken, who holds enforcement powers and that the billboard has been removed. The speaker also argues for moving away from "debates about flags and bonfires" towards roads, waste water, health and education. The "all going in one direction" remark keeps a small part of the communal argument going, but it is secondary to the factual and procedural answers and to the call for even-handed enforcement.

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 14:56 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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