Contributions
439 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDDraft Local Elections (Northern Ireland) (Election Expenses) Order 2019As I understand it, the important thing is to take whatever is currently operative for Northern Ireland piece by piece and clause by clause. In many cases, bits of Acts have been…26 Feb 2019HANSARDDraft Northern Ireland (Ministerial Appointment Functions) Regulations 2019The legal position is that after the five months, which come to an end in March, Parliament must decide whether to grant a second five months, all the time working and hoping for…11 Feb 2019HANSARDDraft Northern Ireland (Ministerial Appointment Functions) Regulations 2019I can confirm that those meetings and discussions—sometimes very privately bilaterally, sometimes more broadly—are ongoing. The right hon. Gentleman will be aware that we have…11 Feb 2019HANSARDDraft Northern Ireland (Ministerial Appointment Functions) Regulations 2019I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft Northern Ireland (Ministerial Appointment Functions) Regulations 2019. It is a pleasure to have your hand on the tiller…11 Feb 2019HANSARDDraft Northern Ireland (Ministerial Appointment Functions) Regulations 2019Moving swiftly on, the hon. Gentleman asked about the process of appointments and what would happen in a couple of different scenarios, such as if incumbents were not going to…11 Feb 2019HANSARDDraft Northern Ireland (Ministerial Appointment Functions) Regulations 2019The hon. Gentleman brings me neatly on to the second point he raised, which was about appointments other than those listed in the regulations. May I at this stage keep our…11 Feb 2019HANSARDDraft Northern Ireland (Ministerial Appointment Functions) Regulations 2019I thank the Opposition for their kind support. I appreciate that I tempted fate by saying this is an uncontroversial piece of legislation, so I am grateful for their support to…11 Feb 2019HANSARDSupporting BusinessAt the autumn Budget, the Chancellor announced £350 million for a Belfast city region deal to boost investment and productivity, and the opening of formal negotiations for a…30 Jan 2019HANSARDSupporting BusinessI can confirm, as I have already mentioned, that the Derry/Londonderry and Strabane city deal discussions have begun, following my right hon. Friend the Chancellor’s announcement,…30 Jan 2019HANSARDSupporting BusinessI keep coming back to it, but Parliament voted last night and a democratic consensus has been reached. We all need to respect that decision.30 Jan 2019HANSARDBorder: Use of TechnologyI can do better than that. The Prime Minister, in her comments last night, already made the point that she wishes to discuss all these things with the EU. I would regard it as…30 Jan 2019HANSARDBorder: Use of TechnologyI understand that the Cabinet Office commissioned work on what existing software and other technologies are available from other low-friction land borders around the world to see…30 Jan 2019HANSARDBorder: Use of TechnologyToday marks the tragic anniversary of the events of 30 January 1972, a day more commonly known as Bloody Sunday. I am sure the entire House will want to join me in marking this…30 Jan 2019HANSARDBorder: Use of TechnologyAll I can do here is go back to the Prime Minister’s point of order after the votes last night, where she explicitly said that she was going to take the decisions that had…30 Jan 2019HANSARDBorder: Use of TechnologyI am very happy to repeat what I said earlier: nobody, on any side—not just the police, as this is much more broad than that—wants a hard border in Northern Ireland. Ultimately,…30 Jan 2019HANSARDBorder: Use of TechnologyAll I think I can do is repeat my earlier comments. After examination, there are no currently available, off-the-shelf solutions, which is why the political declaration says that…30 Jan 2019HANSARDRural Hospitals: Public TransportAs I am sure my right hon. Friend is aware, public transport in Northern Ireland is a devolved issue. The Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Act 2018…30 Jan 2019HANSARDRural Hospitals: Public TransportMy right hon. Friend is pursuing one of the energetic and effective campaigns that have become his signature in Parliament. I believe that he is also pursuing the issue at Welsh…30 Jan 2019HANSARDRural Hospitals: Public TransportThe difficulty that everybody faces at the moment is that all budgetary allocations have to be done on a business-as-usual basis. To make more fundamental changes and reforms—to…30 Jan 2019