24 March 2026
SDLP Opposition Communities Spokesperson Mark H Durkan MLA has said that Minister Gordon Lyons is totally out of touch with reality.
He was speaking following a statement from the Minister on USA-NI 250 in the Assembly on Tuesday.
Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan said:
“While families throughout Northern Ireland worry about how they will put petrol in their cars and heat their homes, today we were subjected to the Communities Minister telling us all about his recent visit to the USA and his meeting with Donald Trump – the man responsible for the financial pressure now facing people here.
“I asked the Minister to tell the public how much his trip to America cost. He failed to answer. This comes just a day after his party expressed outrage in the Assembly about wasteful spending, while his Department has allocated nearly half a million pounds to USA-NI 250.
“Instead of spending his time travelling to America discussing their plans to celebrate the 250th anniversary of their liberation from the shackles of the British Empire, he should have been here, working with his Executive to get support to families suffering as a direct result of the US’s foreign policy.”