Contributions
836 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDAbortion in Northern IrelandI recognise the hon. Lady’s consistent position on this, the strength of feeling on this issue and the contributions she has made in previous debates and conversations in this…25 Mar 2021HANSARDAbortion in Northern IrelandOn Monday we made the Abortion (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2021, and we laid them before Parliament on Tuesday. We have taken that important step because women and girls are…25 Mar 2021HANSARDAbortion in Northern IrelandMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. We have to make sure that people are getting access to the right healthcare. It is a legal obligation on us following the Parliament vote, but…25 Mar 2021HANSARDAbortion in Northern IrelandThe short answer is absolutely yes; the hon. Lady is absolutely right. I would go further. She has outlined a couple of specific cases. I did not name people, for a particular…25 Mar 2021HANSARDAbortion in Northern IrelandMy hon. Friend has been a powerful voice on this issue, along with other colleagues, over the last period. I know that a number of people appreciate the support he has given and…25 Mar 2021HANSARDAbortion in Northern IrelandThe hon. Lady has strongly and powerfully outlined the importance of why we all hope that the Minister of Health in the Northern Ireland Executive will move forward and commission…25 Mar 2021HANSARDThe Abortion (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2021Yesterday the Minister of State made the Abortion (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2021 which are today being laid before Parliament. The regulations have been made because women…23 Mar 2021HANSARDNorthern Ireland ProtocolAs the right hon. Gentleman will be aware, the article 16 implementation was effectively made by the EU just a few weeks ago, not by the UK Government; that is what has started…10 Mar 2021HANSARDNorthern Ireland ProtocolI am keen on making sure that we have really good bilateral relationships. I have worked with members of the Irish Government over the past year and we always have very productive…10 Mar 2021HANSARDNorthern Ireland ProtocolI am disappointed that the hon. Gentleman did not make similar comments about the moves that the Irish Government made in January and the flexibilities they put in place. He…10 Mar 2021HANSARDNorthern Ireland ProtocolMy hon. Friend, as always, makes an important point. I welcome our friends and partners around the world taking an interest in any part of the UK. Our friends in the US have…10 Mar 2021HANSARDNorthern Ireland ProtocolMy hon. Friend makes an important and fair point. The Irish Government and their agencies work closely with the UK Government and our agencies and with the Northern Ireland…10 Mar 2021HANSARDNorthern Ireland ProtocolI assume that the hon. Gentleman therefore supports the moves we took last week in showing leadership to deliver for the people of Northern Ireland. We have been consistent in…10 Mar 2021HANSARDNorthern Ireland ProtocolAbsolutely. It is important that all of us in this House continually reinforce the point—I will always do—that the UK Government’s commitment to the Belfast-Good Friday agreement…10 Mar 2021HANSARDNorthern Ireland ProtocolI appreciate that the hon. Gentleman has been consistent in his views on the protocol more widely, and I would say to him that our work is going to be focused on working with the…10 Mar 2021HANSARDNorthern Ireland ProtocolYes, absolutely. From talking in the meetings we have had with Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič, I absolutely believe his commitment to wanting not only to work at pace but to…10 Mar 2021HANSARDNorthern Ireland ProtocolI appreciate that the hon. Gentleman outlines a strength of feeling that is absolutely there. The tension and palpable feeling within the Unionist community over what has happened…10 Mar 2021HANSARDNorthern Ireland ProtocolMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. This is a global pandemic and we need to work together globally to combat it, get on top of it and be able to move back to normal life. That is…10 Mar 2021HANSARDNorthern Ireland ProtocolI would say that we are working to ensure that he does not have to go through that kind of rigmarole and can continue to trade in his business, for the benefit of his employees…10 Mar 2021HANSARDNorthern Ireland ProtocolMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. There was a commitment to act at pace. As I say, we would have liked to have come to agreement on these issues, but the pace issue got ahead of…10 Mar 2021