Debate contribution: Sign Language Bill: Final Stage

Debate contribution by Mrs Julie Middleton on 28 April 2026.

MLA

Mrs Julie Middleton

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

28 April 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Executive Committee Business

Heading

Sign Language Bill: Final Stage

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5510056

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Mr Deputy Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to deliver my maiden speech today. As a new MLA, I am mindful of the service that I owe to every person in Foyle. I am committed to acting as a dedicated champion for the city and district in which I was born and bred. I am here to ensure that the voices of the people of Foyle are heard clearly and that legislation, such as that being debated today, reflects real need. I stand here as a proud daughter of the Waterside. I was raised in a housing estate called Nelson Drive by hard-working parents who taught me the value of a day's work and the importance of community. In Nelson Drive, we did not just live next to each other; we looked out for each other. To my neighbours, who were a strong part of my upbringing, I want you to know that you instilled community values in me, and I will endeavour to restore community pride for all of you by championing the projects that matter most to you. Today, I will focus largely on communication. In a place often defined by its political rhetoric, we can sometimes forget that true communication is about not just the volume of our voices but the depth of our listening. My understanding of that was profoundly shaped during my time working for Foyle Down Syndrome Trust, where I got to work with the most incredible children and young people. I learned more about communication from those members than I ever learned from any book, political manual or in any other workplace. I will bring what I learned there to the Chamber today and every day. To communicate effectively is to be honest about the challenges that we face. My focus will always be on honesty, integrity and hard work. I am focused on priorities that truly matter to constituents such as the need for urgent action on access to GP and NHS appointments. You should not have to call your doctor's surgery 100 times in the morning, only to get through to be told that there is no appointment. Equally, you should not have to drive miles and miles to get to the nearest NHS dentist. There is work to be done. I am not about just words; I am here to play my part. In Foyle, we have a profound need for a dedicated detox centre, and, like much of Northern Ireland, enhanced access to mental health support. I am committed to working with all to help members of our communities with issues that go above and beyond political loyalties. Like many in the Chamber, I am also committed deeply to the issue of road safety. I will be lobbying for our local Department for Infrastructure teams to be properly and adequately financed. We must ensure that the roads are vehicle-worthy. The roads must be safe for every family, road user and pedestrian. We must not continue to lose lives on our roads. That is preventable, and it is well within our remit to put precautionary methods and measures in place.

Sadly, in Foyle, fuel poverty and socio-economic deprivation bite hard. We have a moral and ethical duty to urgently help to ease the burden on our hard-working and vulnerable residents. I know that the DUP Ministers and colleagues that I work alongside work tirelessly to find resolve. We are listening, and we will do all that we can to help you. I am also acutely aware of the challenges that those with special educational needs and disabilities face, due to years of work experience in the field. I will continue to raise their plea and enable opportunities for those individuals and their support networks. I will speak about your challenges and successes and, importantly, with your help I will explain what you need to help you better integrate into work and independent living so that you can have ownership over your journey through school, life and work. This Chamber also needs to be a voice for those who are escaping and enduring domestic violence and abuse. We must all continue to advocate for tougher sentencing and better protection. Importantly, we must come together to ensure that we bring Jade's law into our legal framework. For too long, silence has been the shield of the abuser. I will use my voice to shatter that silence. I will meet with support groups, ask the difficult questions and do my part to ensure that our laws protect those most at risk. Foyle is a place of immense talent, yet we face systemic challenges. I am here to help drive socio-economic development, ensuring that our infrastructure and opportunities match the ambition of our people. My focus is so clear: I want to ensure that our talent, youth and people of all ages do not have to leave the north-west or Northern Ireland to find opportunity. I cannot speak of the strength of Foyle without mentioning our churches. They are more than just buildings. They are social and spiritual anchors for my constituency. From providing pastoral care to running food banks and youth clubs, our faith communities communicate much of the very best of Northern Ireland. It would be remiss of me not to mention the difficult topic of legacy. There is much conversation and much work that must be carried out, but, ultimately, truth matters, and we cannot stand by and watch history being rewritten or victims' stories being stamped out. I intend to use this platform to speak up, meet with groups and individuals who work with our victims to ask those difficult questions of our Departments, and ensure that our legislation provides the protection and dignity that victims deserve. I must be very candid. Stepping into public life as a new female MLA has brought challenges that go beyond the policy debates of this House. Sadly, I am certain that I am not the only female MLA in this Chamber, irrespective of political party, who faces harassment on a daily basis, always from people who are hidden behind a screen. While, like you, I welcome scrutiny and open conversation, which we know to be the lifeblood of our democracy, the level of abuse that I have had to delete from my platforms suggests that some are not yet ready for female leadership. However, let me be clear: I will not be silenced. I have, however, been vastly encouraged by many people in this Chamber and outside it, and by the real-life communication that I have received since coming to Stormont: the letters, handshakes, hugs, comments, messages and conversations with people, young and old, who genuinely want to see Northern Ireland work. I am here to work. I will speak up fearlessly for the north-west, meet with every group that seeks to better our community and contribute to legislation that makes life fairer for the people of Foyle. I want to see Foyle thrive. I am ready to work alongside all of you to legislate and to lead. I am ready to listen and, above all, I am ready to serve. I am proud of my Ulster-Scots heritage and believe that, by celebrating our diverse cultural expressions, we build a more confident and inclusive society. In that spirit of inclusion, I express my full support for the Sign Language Bill, brought through to its Final Stage today by my colleague Gordon Lyons. This is a landmark moment for the deaf community: it is when we ensure that your primary language is recognised and respected in law. Today is the day when we see dignity, inclusion and equality and we will recognise the language and communication that is used by you, our deaf and deafblind community members. I am in awe of the well-established linguistic, cultural and social communities that have been built through sign language. I am thankful that our Communities Minister will bring the law up to date to support and recognise those who are from the deaf and deafblind community. Today, we see British Sign Language and Irish Sign Language as languages in their own right, and I am so thankful to be here today as that happens. To all in the Public Gallery who are from the deaf and deafblind community, I say this: I commend you for your determination. This is your day: congratulations.

1,395 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not qualifying

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 01:21 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9. This record has been assessed 2 times; the latest assessment is shown.

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