Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Bill

Yes, Jonathan to you, Mr Speaker, I am sure.

I begin by inviting the House to join me in re...

Will the Secretary of State confirm that the Government’s purpose in bringing forward the Bill is...

My hon. Friend sums up very well the intent of the Bill. It will enable civil servants to continu...

As the Secretary of State is well aware, the date of 26 March 2019 appears in clause 1. I am sure...

I will—[Interruption.] I am not having a good day, am I? [Interruption.] I thank the hon. Member ...

That is very helpful indeed. In fact, it is very succinct, and leaves a lot to the imagination. W...

I do not see this as a deadline as such; I see it as a date by which a decision will have to be t...

The Secretary of State has made several references in her speech so far to the political hiatus. ...

I do not want to provide a running commentary on the talks I have had with parties since the talk...

Does the Secretary of State accept that if an Assembly is to come back to Northern Ireland—and we...

I want to see a fully functioning, devolved Government as we have seen in the past, as that would...

Is cearta daonna iad cearta teanga agus tá cothrom na féinne tuilte ag lucht labhartha na Gaeilge...

I assume that that intervention contained a translation. That is my working premise—

I would be delighted to offer a translation if that would be sufficient.

I thought it had been offered, but if it has not been, I hope that the hon. Lady will indulge not...

Language rights are human rights and the Irish speakers of Ireland deserve fair play.

The hon. Lady is right that the St Andrews agreement includes a political declaration to legislat...

I admire the stamina and diligence that the Secretary of State has demonstrated in trying to achi...

I know that the hon. Lady feels strongly about that matter and she has raised it in the House on ...

Although I fully understand and appreciate the point made by the hon. Member for North Down (Lady...

Order. Before the Secretary of State responds, let me say this in good humour, if I may. The hon....

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I could not have put it better myself.

The right hon. Member for Lag...

I thank the Secretary of State for her engagement on this issue. It will come as no surprise to h...

I thank the hon. Lady and her colleagues and members of all the main parties across Northern Irel...

The Secretary of State is being very generous in giving way. From reading the Bill and listening ...

I was just about to say that I have published a draft copy of the guidance and placed it in the L...

Can the Secretary of State say how many legal actions have been initiated in the few days since t...

Perhaps it is best if I write to the Chair of the Select Committee with specific details, althoug...

I had the privilege of visiting Lagan College, an integrated school in Belfast, and I would like ...

At the moment I need to get this legislation through, then I can bring the parties together. The ...

on the question of decisions and what are believed to be non-controversial issues, senior civil s...

It is precisely because of the uncertainty since the Buick judgment that we are bringing forward ...

I just want to be clear in my mind about what the Secretary of State is saying. I understand she ...

The hon. Lady introduced her ten-minute rule Bill yesterday, and I know she is a campaigner on a ...

As I understand it, the Bill before us allows vital everyday public services to continue. I wonde...

I would strongly advise my hon. Friend to read the guidance, but she is right: the purpose of the...

On enacting existing provisions, would the Secretary of State be able to explain something to me?...

It would not be right for me to answer definitively on any decision that a civil servant may make...

I am a relative newcomer to this place—I have been here only eight years—but I have just been to ...

I have received a nod from the Box, which means that it is there, but we will check as to why it ...

Before the Secretary of State moves on, could she please give some hope and encouragement to the ...

This is a matter that I know the hon. Lady feels very deeply about, and it is the subject of one ...

Issues relating specifically to the victims of historical institutional abuse, for whom I think w...

The hon. Lady makes some interesting suggestions. This might be a topic on which we could engage ...

May I urge the Secretary of State please to agree to meet Judge Hart? She has rightly praised the...

I have met victims of historical abuse and heard their testimony. As the hon. Lady will know, whe...

The Northern Ireland civil service should be engaging with a range of policy decisions, some of w...

As I have said, I want to see political engagement and political discussion—I think that that is ...

My right hon. Friend is advancing a powerful defence of the reason she is not becoming involved i...

As I said, a number of amendments dealing with several matters have been tabled, including one sp...

rose—

rose—

I will give way to the right hon. Member for East Antrim, but then I must make progress.

Does the Secretary of State accept that while there may be some grandstanding today by Members wh...

The Bill will enable civil servants to act within the law as it stands today. It will not give th...

rose—

I give way one final time because I cannot resist the hon. Gentleman.

How do I respond to that, Mr Speaker? I grateful to the Secretary of State for giving way one las...

What I am saying is that the Bill does not enable that to be done. I am focusing on ensuring that...

All the appointments in the Bill are justice-based, and I completely take on board the point abou...

We would use the power only if appointments were urgent and necessary. I would consult the main N...

May I begin by joining the Secretary of State in offering my condolences to the families of the v...

I agree with the hon. Gentleman that we would all like to see action on those important issues. H...

In the past, previous Northern Ireland Secretaries have taken specific action from Westminster—no...

I am grateful to be called in this important debate and am happy to support this Bill. The measur...

The hon. Gentleman is making some interesting suggestions as to how there could be some democrati...

I accept what the hon. Gentleman says and do not pretend that any of the solutions are easy. Such...

The hon. Gentleman is making some constructive suggestions, some of which have been made by some ...

That was roughly what I was alluding to in my response to the previous intervention. If we can fi...

I echo the comments of both Front Benchers on the Shankill bombing. I was 13 at the time, but I r...

Does the hon. Gentleman share my concern that, apart from the hon. Member for North Down (Lady He...

I wholeheartedly agree with the right hon. Lady. Sinn Féin’s decision not to use their voice is a...

On the parties getting round the table to try to reach agreement, does the hon. Gentleman agree t...

From the conversations I had in the past couple of days at BIPA, I can say that some have that de...

It is important that we make the record clear: just as among Conservative and Labour voters there...

I am grateful to the right hon. Lady for making that point, as I had not intended to portray it. ...

rose—

rose—

I am going to make some progress, and then I will come back to the right hon. Members.

The ...

I am listening carefully to what the hon. Gentleman is saying, but I wanted to make a point about...

I appreciate the intervention from the Secretary of State, whom I am sure had to urge the hon. Me...

Like the right hon. Member for Broxtowe (Anna Soubry), a majority of my constituents voted for Br...

I disagree with the right hon. Gentleman. It is clear to most people in this Chamber that the ans...

I have now to announce the result of the Division deferred from yesterday. In respect of the ques...

It is a pleasure to speak in this Second Reading debate. May I start by expressing my admiration ...

Does the hon. Gentleman share my concern not only about the policies that the civil servants will...

With respect to the right hon. Gentleman, he is a little harsh on the Northern Ireland civil serv...

In relation to Brexit and the Secretary of State’s guidance following this legislation, would it ...

I usually agree with the hon. Lady and I agree with her on that point. Of course, the general pri...

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison), the Chairman o...

Does my hon. Friend agree that it is not fair that those Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly...

My hon. Friend is entirely right. The majority of the 90 Assembly Members who have been elected t...

Further to the point made by my right hon. Friend the Member for East Antrim (Sammy Wilson), in t...

That is an incredibly fair point to make, and I intend to address it later on. There has been a d...

Is the worrying thing for my hon. Friend the fact that many of those 200 decisions are sitting th...

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his comment. I think it fair to say that there are a range of...

I will expand more on this in my speech, but this is a critical point to do with the civil servic...

That is a key consideration. The Bill does not insulate civil servants from the prospect of judic...

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for allowing me to follow up on that, since he referred to me...

Those considerations are exactly the same ones that the hon. Lady will have had in the Northern I...

What was the timescale?

No date was ever discussed.

I see in the amendments tabled by the hon. Member for Amber Val...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way again?

I will just finish this point, if I may.

It is clear that the intransigence, stagnation and...

I am very grateful to the hon. Gentleman for allowing me to intervene again. I asked about the ti...

Don’t worry, I recognise that. I am not going to enter into Northern Ireland politics.

I ha...

I intend to speak, Mr Deputy Speaker, but you knew that anyhow.

I say respectfully to the h...

Will my hon. Friend give way?

You know I have to do so, Mr Deputy Speaker.

I will be brief. My hon. Friend referred to the uncertainty about the transport hub in Belfast. D...

Absolutely right. Mr Deputy Speaker, we gave time to my hon. Friend, but we have saved time on wh...

My hon. Friend makes a very, very important point. The Bill really covers only the issue of Execu...

Absolutely. The unexplained wealth orders are a key example of how we should have extension of th...

rose—

I will give way one final time, Mr Deputy Speaker, so as not to encourage your ire.

To assist my colleagues, I have withdrawn from the list of those wishing to speak in this debate,...

That is an important point to make, and that matter should be progressed.

I have a final, b...

We have eight speeches to come, and about an hour to play with, so if speeches could be around se...

As one of two former Northern Ireland Ministers on the Government Benches, let me say that I know...

Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that it is time that we had a degree of honesty from Sinn Féi...

That intervention is spot on, in many ways. It cannot be on one group’s terms. The Good Friday ag...

rose—

I will not give way to the great Lady, simply because I know so many other colleagues wish to spe...

As has been mentioned a number of times in this House, this week marks the 25th anniversary of th...

I completely agree with the hon. Lady. Sinn Féin sees their people who were doing those atrocitie...

My right hon. Friend makes a powerful point about the pursuit of people who should clearly not be...

Perhaps unusually, I agree with my right hon. Friend on nearly everything she says apart from her...

rose—

I will not give way, because the Deputy Speaker has already told me off once, but I will conclude...

This is the eighth or ninth time since devolution collapsed in Northern Ireland in January 2017 t...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I would be delighted to give way to allow the Minister to explain.

The guidance to the civil service was deposited in the Library on Monday, and it is also availabl...

All I can say is that I went personally to the Library and asked the staff, and asked them again,...

Let me remind the hon. Gentleman of a significant point that was made, in a very interesting spee...

I am not sure that that intervention is entirely pertinent to the point that I was making. Howeve...

I will try to be brief, but this is a subject that I hold close to my heart. Let me start by sayi...

I will try to be relatively brief, because my hon. Friend the Member for Belfast East (Gavin Robi...

I was here for most of the first part of the debate, but I had to be away to attend a Committee. ...

I thank and agree with the hon. Gentleman.

I came in to work for and with Government back i...

rose—

rose—

May I just say to the two gentleman that we need to bring on the Front Benchers just before quart...

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to make a comment. First, let me thank the Secretary of S...

It is with great sadness that we are here today, debating yet another Bill that should not have t...

My hon. Friend refers to our esteemed and brave members of the military. There is a lot of talk a...

I have to agree with my hon. Friend—that is 100% right. I am from a family who have been affected...

During the course of this afternoon, two common threads have emerged that have run through all of...

May I start on a rather sad note? I extend my condolences and sympathies to Lord Caine, who is kn...

Will the Minister give way?

I will give way this time, but I am mindful of my limited time.

The Secretary of State mentioned that she was going to get the parties together. Have Ministers s...

There have been occasions when Sinn Féin representatives have turned up at meetings. I very much ...

On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. During Prime Minister’s questions, the Prime Minister ...

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his point of order. As he knows, and as Mr Speaker always says whe...

Further to that point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. During Prime Minister’s questions today, th...

First of all, that was not further to the point of order. Just as the Chair has no responsibility...

Further to that point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I, too, raise the point that the Leader of ...

The hon. Lady makes a very important point, because we all rely on the Library to give us balance...

Jeremy doesn’t.

Do not interrupt me. We rely on the Library to give us balanced and entirely impartial informatio...