Contributions
680 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDPoint of OrderOn a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. In response to an oral question on 6 March, I made inaccurate comments regarding the actions of soldiers during the troubles. It is…11 Mar 2019HANSARDStormont House Agreement: LegacyThe hon. Lady sets out the figures very powerfully—over 90% of the killings during the troubles were at the hands of terrorists. Every single one of those was a crime. The under…06 Mar 2019HANSARDStormont House Agreement: LegacyI absolutely agree with the hon. Gentleman. I am grateful to him, as we have been able to speak personally about this matter, and to hear his words of advice and wisdom, because…06 Mar 2019HANSARDStormont House Agreement: LegacyThe Government are carefully considering over 17,000 responses to the recent consultation on legacy. We are determined to replace the current system with one that is fair,…06 Mar 2019HANSARDLeaving the EU: No-Deal PreparationsI disagree with the hon. Gentleman, for whom I have enormous respect, when he says that the Government are not prepared for no deal. We are working towards preparing for all…06 Mar 2019HANSARDLeaving the EU: No-Deal PreparationsThe Northern Ireland civil service is working incredibly hard on no-deal preparedness. My officials hold regular meetings with civil servants in Northern Ireland. It would be…06 Mar 2019HANSARDLeaving the EU: No-Deal PreparationsMy hon. Friend is right to say that the UK shared prosperity fund will be an important part of our post-Brexit future. We are working as a Government to ensure that the UK fund is…06 Mar 2019HANSARDLeaving the EU: No-Deal PreparationsMr Speaker, may I join you in wishing the hon. Gentleman a very happy birthday? I hope that he gets to enjoy it, and to enjoy some more Northern Ireland business later in the day,…06 Mar 2019HANSARDNorthern Ireland (Regional Rates and Energy) (No. 2) BillThere are differences in fuel costs and transport costs. There are differences between different parts of the UK. I am interested in making sure that the scheme in Northern…06 Mar 2019HANSARDLeaving the EU: No-Deal PreparationsI disagree with the hon. Gentleman. The Government are taking appropriate and responsible measures in the event that we end up with no deal, but there is a way to avoid no deal,…06 Mar 2019HANSARDLeaving the EU: No-Deal PreparationsLeaving with a deal on 29 March is our clear objective, and that is what we are working towards. It remains, however, the responsibility of the UK Government to continue…06 Mar 2019HANSARDDevolved GovernmentThe Prime Minister takes a very keen interest in all matters in Northern Ireland; she has visited Northern Ireland on a number of occasions and regularly meets the main parties…06 Mar 2019HANSARDDevolved GovernmentThe measures that were taken in the House in respect of transparency of donations were taken with the support of the five main political parties in Northern Ireland, and with…06 Mar 2019HANSARDDevolved GovernmentMy hon. Friend has made a good suggestion, which has also been made by a number of parties. However, the Government are steadfast in their commitment to the institutions…06 Mar 2019HANSARDNorthern Ireland (Regional Rates and Energy) (No. 2) BillI beg to move, That the Bill be now read the Third time. I thank everyone who has participated in this debate and the one yesterday. We have had a good discussion. We are all…06 Mar 2019HANSARDNorthern Ireland (Regional Rates and Energy) (No. 2) BillI hope that the scrutiny that the Chair of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee has offered will help to address a number of those issues. I know that there is concern about the…06 Mar 2019HANSARDNorthern Ireland (Regional Rates and Energy) (No. 2) BillI thank my hon. Friend for his questions, and I will come on specifically to those points in a moment. I want to come back to the question of whether there is an option to delay.…06 Mar 2019HANSARDNorthern Ireland (Regional Rates and Energy) (No. 2) BillI cannot continue with those, because the advice that I have is that to continue with them would be illegal. Under the ministerial code, I cannot, as a Minister of the Crown,…06 Mar 2019HANSARDNorthern Ireland (Regional Rates and Energy) (No. 2) BillThe advice I have received is that the payments will stop, because there will be no legal basis on which to make any payments. The payments that are currently being made have been…06 Mar 2019HANSARDNorthern Ireland (Regional Rates and Energy) (No. 2) BillI recognise the concern of Members and the spirit of this amendment, which seeks to provide for additional time and scrutiny. As I have said, I empathise with the participants in…06 Mar 2019