The Northern Ireland Assembly opened its Monday session with a matter of the day debate on the car bomb attack at Dunmurry police station on Saturday night, with all parties condemning the attack but sharp and at times bitter exchanges breaking out over Sinn Féin's relationship with republican violence past and present. The device, which police have attributed to the so-called New IRA, was brought to the station by a hijacked delivery driver and detonated in a residential area, forcing the evacuation of families including young children. Senior police described the device as crude and unpredictable, and the Chief Constable appealed publicly for unconditional support for the PSNI.

Unionist MLAs used the debate to challenge Sinn Féin directly over its condemnation of the attack in the context of recent controversy over an unauthorised statue of Bobby Sands in west Belfast. TUV MLA Timothy Gaston said: "One cannot with any credibility defend furniture shop bomber Bobby Sands and then condemn the PSNI station bombers just days later." DUP MLA Jonathan Buckley drew a direct line between what he called the glorification of past violence and the continuation of dissident republican activity, while UUP MLA Robin Swann's colleague Peter Boylan's group colleague Doug Burrows told Sinn Féin: "It was your party that wrote the manual for what those people do now."

Sinn Féin MLA Orlaith Flynn, who said she had visited Dunmurry the previous afternoon alongside party colleagues, condemned the attack in strong terms. "The people behind the absolutely horrendous attack on Saturday evening have nothing to offer our society," she said. "They represent no one, and they are completely devoid of support." Sinn Féin MLA Deirdre Hargey referenced her own party's offices having been attacked with a viable device in recent months and warned against using the debate to score political points, but her remarks drew repeated interruptions from the unionist benches and a rebuke from the Speaker.

Alliance MLA Nuala McAllister offered unequivocal condemnation, saying: "Alliance has never equivocated on the issue of political violence, not now and not then. It is not OK in 2026; it was not OK in 1969 and 1980; and it will never be OK." SDLP leader Matthew O'Toole told dissident republicans to "genuinely go away" and said that bombing and shooting were not the way to achieve a united Ireland, adding: "Join a political party, hand out a leaflet, stand for election and persuade your friends and neighbours of a hopeful future."

DUP deputy leader Emma Little-Pengelly, who said she had visited Dunmurry residents on Sunday afternoon, called on all parties to send a unified message of support for the PSNI. DUP MLA Stephen Brett accused Sinn Féin of being absent at a critical moment, noting that the First Minister was not present in the Chamber, and said: "If the House cannot unite to defend them when they are under attack, shame on us." SDLP MLA Colin McGrath, who sits on the Policing Board, praised the officers on the ground but said he was not sure genuine unity had been achieved in the debate, questioning whether some contributions had been aimed at political gain.

The Assembly also heard Members' statements on a range of other issues. Members from multiple parties raised frustration over delays to the A5 dual carriageway project. SDLP MLA Daniel McCrossan said Sinn Féin had been in power for over 20 years and had "the fingerprints of failure all over the A5", while DUP MLA Gordon Dunne called for urgent action from Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins on a range of projects including the York Street interchange, accusing her of overseeing "a complete disaster" in her Department.

Alliance MLA Kate Nicholl and SDLP MLA Matthew O'Toole both used Members' statements to highlight a community petition calling on Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council to build a new leisure centre at Lough Moss in Carryduff, including a dedicated swimming pool. O'Toole said that despite Castlereagh South contributing the largest total of rates by district electoral area to the council, it had historically received the lowest level of investment.

UUP MLA Steve Aiken reported back from a Windsor Framework Democratic Scrutiny Committee visit to Brussels, where discussions centred on the forthcoming UK-EU reset summit. He highlighted concerns about the Union Customs Code, which he referred to as the "Alliance tax", and said the maritime carbon tax due to take effect from 1 July would add up to 6% on shipping costs, adding substantially to the cost of living for Northern Ireland consumers.

Sinn Féin MLAs Pat Sheehan and Colm Gildernew made statements welcoming the hosting of the party's ard-fheis in Belfast and the High Court dismissal of a legal challenge to Belfast City Council's Irish language policy respectively. Gildernew said the ruling meant the council could now implement its new Irish language policy and expressed disappointment that the Communities Minister had intervened in the case, saying it was the Minister's duty to promote and develop the Irish language rather than obstruct it.

Ulster Unionist MLA William Dunne and SDLP colleague Sinead McLaughlin both raised concerns about wildfires in the Mourne Mountains, which broke out on Saturday evening across multiple sites and forced the evacuation of residents along the coast road between Kilkeel and Newcastle. South Down MLA Sinead Forsythe called for those responsible to face the full force of the law, saying the fires were started in areas hard for the public to access and were clearly not the result of recreational activity.

The Assembly also heard the Second Stage of the Petroleum Exploration and Licensing (Repeal) Bill, brought forward by Economy Minister Conor Murphy's successor Dr Caoimhe Archibald. The Bill would permanently end onshore oil and gas exploration and production in Northern Ireland, including fracking, by removing the Department's power to issue petroleum licences under the Petroleum (Production) Act 1964. The Minister said independent research had found that onshore petroleum exploration was unlikely to deliver significant economic benefits, would not enhance energy security and would not reduce energy prices, and that public consultation in 2024 had shown strong support for a legislative ban. The Economy Committee confirmed it had been briefed on the legislation and that there are currently no active exploration or extraction licences in Northern Ireland.