Michelle O'Neill: 'We have fought really hard on Magee'

Michelle O’Neill said she intended to raise the long standing deficit in funding for universities and services more broadly in the north with newly installed British Labour Party Prime Minister Andy Burnham at a forthcoming meeting.

The First Minister was questioned on Magee during a visit to Derry after Ulster University said it would now have to re-examine the scope and scale of the Magee expansion plans in light of funding constraints.

Michelle O’Neill said: “As First Minister I am absolutely determined on the commitment we have made on Magee and we have shown that over the last two years, with a record investment on the Magee campus, 22% increase in student numbers. We are going to continue to build on that. There is a lot of positivity around the whole Magee campus and I want us to do each step, continue to build that positivity.

"We fought really hard to prioritise Magee in this Executive and we have demonstrated that we can deliver in that regard. Is it enough? No, Do we want to do more? Yes of course, and where we face opposition we will try to find ways to go around it.”

"But,” she added,”this goes right to the heart of the budgetary situation we find ourselves in. We want fair funding so that we can give out universities more money, so that we can put more money into our public services. That’s the battle that we now are in with the British government.”

Ms O’Neill said that successive British administrations have not provided adequate funding for the north and implemented policy decisions that do now work for people here.

"This is why I make the case here that in the longer term what we need is constitutional change. Take our policy decisions away from London and have them here at home.”

Turning to the future of Stormont, Michelle O’Neill said her party had “no intention” of bringing it down, while accusing Sinn Féin’s DUP counterparts in the power sharing arrangement of trying to thwart progress.

"I am determined to make it work, despite the challenges, despite the fact that we have partners in the DUP, in the Executive sitting around that table, are people whose modus operandi is to delay and frustrate progress. They are trying to distract from their own internal issues that they have going on right now,” she said, adding:

"These people who are anti-progressive rights, there are people that are anti-Irish, anti-equality but see despite that – you have to know who you are working with and I understand that and I understand how that makes people feel, I feel it too – but I am determined to turn up every day for workers and families because I believe they need us to be there as the best bulwark against the worst impact of the policy decisions that are taken in London.”

"I am very confident in what I am there to do: to try to make politics work, to try to work with other parties, but you have to understand who you are working with and everybody knows who the DUP are and everybody knows about their anti-rights agenda, their internal issues.”

Returning to the development of the north west, the First Minister said her party will continue to demonstrate their determination that the north west region receives its fair share.

“We have brought regional balance to the heart of our approach to the Executive. Caoimhe Archibald (Economy Minister) in the Department prioritised that and that is crucially important because the north west needs to feel the change and investment here too and I hope that is starting to be felt. I certainly see it.”

"I think there is so much positivity in this city and the wider region and I want to be able to expand on that even further.”

The First Minister also spoke of how positive the Féile has been for Derry, coming on the back of the successful All-Ireland Fleadh in Belfast, ahead of attending several Derry Féile events on Wednesday.