:00:00. > :00:00.commons by pressing the red button or online. First we have questions
:00:00. > :00:12.to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Order ex-mac
:00:13. > :00:19.order! Questions to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Thank
:00:20. > :00:24.you and good morning. We Secretary of State and I hold regular
:00:25. > :00:34.discussions impacting the Northern Irish economy. To see at first hand
:00:35. > :00:43.the businesses and people that make the company 's strong. I welcome the
:00:44. > :00:48.Government's ambition to increase the number of companies exporting in
:00:49. > :00:53.the UK by 100000 by 2000 and 20. What steps are being taken to make
:00:54. > :01:01.sure that Northern Ireland plays a major role? As a consequence of both
:01:02. > :01:05.the efforts and this Government's long-term economic plan, I am
:01:06. > :01:09.delighted to report that the exports have grown 4% over the year. This is
:01:10. > :01:15.higher than any other country in the United Kingdom. Mr David Simpson. Mr
:01:16. > :01:23.Speaker, the Secretary of State would be aware that the employees in
:01:24. > :01:27.the region of 500,000 people. Would she assure us that she will work
:01:28. > :01:34.alongside the Minister to find new markets which are essential to the
:01:35. > :01:37.sector, such as India, Mexico and Brazil? The honourable member is
:01:38. > :01:44.right of the portents of the business. On Monday night we met
:01:45. > :01:48.with the biggest employers in Northern Ireland. New markets around
:01:49. > :01:51.the world, not just within the EU but also China and elsewhere. I am
:01:52. > :01:57.delighted that in me the great campaign to promote UK exports will
:01:58. > :02:00.be visiting Northern Ireland Ireland I look forward to working with the
:02:01. > :02:05.Northern Irish executive to make this go from strength to strength.
:02:06. > :02:13.The honourable gentleman is coming in any few moments. We'll be
:02:14. > :02:17.Secretary of State commit to research into leaving the EU
:02:18. > :02:22.Northern Ireland exports and wider economy? Will she commit to meeting
:02:23. > :02:27.a statement to the House on the economic aspects of Northern Ireland
:02:28. > :02:33.of a withdrawal from the European Union? Being in the European Union
:02:34. > :02:38.makes us stronger and safer and I do not think we will be diverted by
:02:39. > :02:41.commissioning external report about what may or may not happen. The
:02:42. > :02:46.United Kingdom knows exactly what being in the EU looks like because
:02:47. > :02:56.we are in it. The reforms will achieve that goal. Margaret Ritchie.
:02:57. > :02:59.Thank you Mr Speaker. Earlier this week the Cabinet report was
:03:00. > :03:04.published that stated leaving the European Union would result in the
:03:05. > :03:09.imposition of customer checks at the Irish border. Does the Minister and
:03:10. > :03:17.Secretary of State accept the assessment of the Cabinet Office?
:03:18. > :03:21.What impact would the Government expect custom checks to have an
:03:22. > :03:30.Northern Irish exports to the south? This is being as. Mr Speaker, of
:03:31. > :03:35.course as a member of the Government I accept the views but we should not
:03:36. > :03:39.forget that Ireland and the United Kingdom have a long-standing
:03:40. > :03:43.agreement which would mean certain barriers would not be in place.
:03:44. > :03:46.However, if we were to leave the European Union, we would be outside
:03:47. > :03:53.the customs union and that would lead to some forms of extra barriers
:03:54. > :03:58.to trade. Mr Speaker, it is no wonder... I don't know how he keeps
:03:59. > :04:03.a straight face. No wonder the Secretary of State is not answering
:04:04. > :04:09.these questions. Can I as the Minister, has he discussed with the
:04:10. > :04:14.executive the survey by the Northern Irish Chamber of Commerce that
:04:15. > :04:17.showed 81% businesses support continued EU membership? It is
:04:18. > :04:22.little surprise in that finding, given that 60% of the experts go to
:04:23. > :04:28.the EU. This is higher than any other part of the UK. Both myself
:04:29. > :04:32.and the honourable friend discussed this at the Chamber of Commerce on
:04:33. > :04:35.Monday night in Northern Ireland. If the right honourable member like to
:04:36. > :04:41.know how I keep a straight face, that across the dispatch box at two
:04:42. > :04:49.members of the Labour Party who are in favour of replacing Trident. Who
:04:50. > :04:56.have a leader who will not use it. Exports from Northern Ireland. The
:04:57. > :04:59.honourable gentleman. We are all amazed at that. That was the bottom
:05:00. > :05:04.of the barrel to try and find something to say. Can I also asked
:05:05. > :05:09.the minister? Has he discussed the executive Ministers, building on the
:05:10. > :05:15.question my honourable friend is made, the fact that of those exports
:05:16. > :05:19.to the EU, more than one third, well over ?1 billion per year ago to the
:05:20. > :05:23.Republic. The report that my honourable friend referred to is a
:05:24. > :05:31.Government report published today, also supported by the Chamber of
:05:32. > :05:35.Commerce, which raises very real concerns about custom checks having
:05:36. > :05:41.to be put in place at the border as that will represent a border between
:05:42. > :05:45.the UK and the EU. I was discussing this last night with Michael Farr
:05:46. > :05:51.rise. We had a big debate about this. Let me save to the honourable
:05:52. > :05:56.gentleman, it deserves a better answer than it would be all right on
:05:57. > :06:07.the night. I think I would have rather have seen a last night banned
:06:08. > :06:12.Nigel. We believe it is stronger and safer to stay in the EU. We do not
:06:13. > :06:17.want barriers to further trade. We recognise the importance of trade to
:06:18. > :06:22.the Republic of Ireland. We are united in making sure that Northern
:06:23. > :06:26.Irish as Ms prospers and does as best as it can. The long-term
:06:27. > :06:32.economic plan of this Government is making sure exports and domestic
:06:33. > :06:37.trade flourishes. The UK Government is supporting the fight against
:06:38. > :06:43.organised crime delivered through the Northern Irish block grant. 25
:06:44. > :06:50.million do to be given to tackle pilot militarism. When hundred
:06:51. > :06:54.million in security funding will support efforts on organised crime
:06:55. > :07:02.because of the terrorist grouping in that. Mr Speaker, in the first
:07:03. > :07:08.agreement they committed to a public awareness campaign to increase
:07:09. > :07:12.understanding of the harm done to all communities by organised crime.
:07:13. > :07:15.Given the impact this has on businesses, will my right honourable
:07:16. > :07:21.friend encourage this executive to proceed quickly down this path? A
:07:22. > :07:27.theme which came strongly out of the fresh start talks was the need for a
:07:28. > :07:32.whole community approach to tackling organised crime in Northern Ireland.
:07:33. > :07:35.Continuing the excellent work of the police and partners but also
:07:36. > :07:41.ensuring that the public are well aware of the harm done by organised
:07:42. > :07:45.crime and are supported in their efforts to give evidence which is
:07:46. > :07:50.necessary to bring these individuals to justice and put them in prison
:07:51. > :07:56.where they deserve to be. Thank you, Mr Speaker, since the National crime
:07:57. > :07:58.agency has at long last become operational in Northern Ireland,
:07:59. > :08:05.what efforts have been made to seize the assets of organised criminals
:08:06. > :08:10.and give them back to committee projects in Northern Ireland? The
:08:11. > :08:17.take the duties very seriously and I think there will be assisted in that
:08:18. > :08:22.as a result of the new joint agency task force on cross jurisdictional
:08:23. > :08:30.crime which will be established by April. It will consist of
:08:31. > :08:35.immigration forces and the criminal assets bureau. I think that will be
:08:36. > :08:40.significantly enhance the effort already made under the organised
:08:41. > :08:48.crime task force on these matters. Thank you, Mr Speaker smuggling as
:08:49. > :08:51.part of organised crime. What assessments has my right honourable
:08:52. > :08:55.friend made of the recent fuel marker which has been introduced? Is
:08:56. > :09:03.it going to be effective enough? The fuel marker was introduced from
:09:04. > :09:08.April 2015, is six-month report on its use was deposited in the library
:09:09. > :09:12.of the House in November 2000 and 15. Review suggested it as having a
:09:13. > :09:22.positive effect but it is to early to see if the results... The results
:09:23. > :09:28.are positive so far. With the number of police officers having over the
:09:29. > :09:33.years, the number of groups involved in organised crime has more than
:09:34. > :09:38.doubled to 150 or possibly more. Does she see any significance in
:09:39. > :09:42.this? Well, I would emphasise that Belfast in Northern Ireland is one
:09:43. > :09:46.of the safest places in the world. There is is a convergence problem
:09:47. > :09:52.with criminality related to pilot militarism. There is, of course,
:09:53. > :09:58.illegal threat from terrorists. We are determined to support them in
:09:59. > :10:02.the brilliant work they are doing and they are assisted by a very
:10:03. > :10:17.strong cooperation in bringing people to justice. In December I
:10:18. > :10:25.attended a meeting with the Northern Ireland executive. We agreed a new
:10:26. > :10:31.measures. A joint agency task force has been created in line with the
:10:32. > :10:35.fresh start agreement. Whilst accepting that there are political
:10:36. > :10:39.uncertainties in the south as a result of the elections, with my
:10:40. > :10:44.right honourable friend agree with me that the north and south face
:10:45. > :10:49.similar difficulties in combating crime, managing offenders and
:10:50. > :10:53.supporting victims and it is in everyone and's best interest that
:10:54. > :10:59.the north and south administration work closely together. I agree
:11:00. > :11:03.entirely and it is the case that security cooperation between the UK
:11:04. > :11:08.and Ireland is better than it ever has been. I believe it is saving
:11:09. > :11:16.lives every day in the fight against organised crime and terrorism. Mr
:11:17. > :11:25.Gavin Robertson. Mr Speaker, it is a stain on our efforts and it took the
:11:26. > :11:27.Irish Republic after decades of funding and the IRA to secure a
:11:28. > :11:45.conviction. Does much more need to be done for
:11:46. > :11:53.those who proliferate and promote terrorism in Northern Ireland, does
:11:54. > :11:56.she think? I am also convinced that the agreement made in the Fresh
:11:57. > :12:02.Start Agreement for a new strategy on paramilitary 's, taking the
:12:03. > :12:10.political parties farther than ever before in condemning the most
:12:11. > :12:12.forthright ones and the Cross jurisdictional arrangements will
:12:13. > :12:16.make Northern Ireland a safer place than it is today. Theirs my right
:12:17. > :12:22.honourable friend share my concern that the introduction of plain
:12:23. > :12:30.packaging for tobacco products could lead to an increasing cross-border
:12:31. > :12:35.organised crime? -- does my friend? I think it is vital police do they
:12:36. > :12:40.can to tackle it. It is taken very seriously. It may be something for
:12:41. > :12:46.consideration by the new joint agency task force on cross-border
:12:47. > :12:49.crime. It is serious and those who buy illegal cigarettes are
:12:50. > :12:53.supporting and funding evil criminals, who are involved in
:12:54. > :13:02.significant violence. It is not a victimless crime and I anyone to
:13:03. > :13:06.purchase them. -- I urge anyone not to purchase them. There was
:13:07. > :13:12.cross-border dimension to the horrific events of August 19 98. May
:13:13. > :13:17.I, with your permission, say that my friend and I and I'm sure the whole
:13:18. > :13:23.house extend our profound sympathies to the friends and families of those
:13:24. > :13:24.who lost their lives. She has referred to cross-border cooperation
:13:25. > :13:41.and relationships between the garda and the PSNI are
:13:42. > :13:49.better than ever before. We must never ever allow this to happen
:13:50. > :13:53.again. I can we will do everything in our power to enhance that
:13:54. > :13:57.cooperation between North and south. It is crucial and I would like to
:13:58. > :14:02.associate myself with the comments of sympathy and condolences to the
:14:03. > :14:10.victims of one of the riderless atrocities that has ever taken
:14:11. > :14:17.place. -- most vile atrocities. Question for. I have had regular
:14:18. > :14:22.discussions. Our long-term economic plan continues to deliver for
:14:23. > :14:28.Northern Ireland. There are 46,000 more people in employment to bury
:14:29. > :14:37.them in 2010 and wages are up by 5%. -- than they were in 2010. There are
:14:38. > :14:43.fewer people claiming jobseeker's allowance. Does she agree that this
:14:44. > :14:48.is a sign the Economic Pact is working? It leads us working more
:14:49. > :14:52.closely than ever before to rebalance the Northern Ireland
:14:53. > :15:01.economy and boost jobs. Unemployment is down over 40% from its peak into
:15:02. > :15:04.February 2013. Real progress is being made, showing working together
:15:05. > :15:10.as effective at delivering for Northern Ireland. I welcome the very
:15:11. > :15:17.good news on the economy in Northern Ireland. But, in light of recent job
:15:18. > :15:21.losses at a factory in Northern Ireland, where companies have
:15:22. > :15:26.identified high energy costs as a problem, can she say what she is
:15:27. > :15:32.doing, along with the executive, to try to tackle this? This is a matter
:15:33. > :15:36.which I have discussed with the executive on many occasions. And I
:15:37. > :15:41.appreciate the company's concerns. I think it is also right to
:15:42. > :15:45.acknowledge the grave concern about by people affected by redundancies
:15:46. > :15:51.at Lombardi A. It is also important to acknowledge that they made it
:15:52. > :15:55.clear this was part of a global restructuring and there was nothing
:15:56. > :16:00.that any authorities could have done to change that decision. It'd also
:16:01. > :16:11.worth noticing that manufacturing is strong and growing in Ireland. --
:16:12. > :16:15.Bombardier. We will continue to drive forward economic growth. On
:16:16. > :16:21.that issue, tourism is a major factor that the executive has
:16:22. > :16:28.invested in. Things like Titanic Belfast and events being brought to
:16:29. > :16:32.Northern Ireland. What about tourism and Air Passenger Duty, that would
:16:33. > :16:40.really drive it forward. He will know that EU real constraint just
:16:41. > :16:50.from reducing VAT on these matters. I'm committed to doing all I Can To
:16:51. > :16:55.bring more to northern ireland. And, in particular, Titanic Belfast has
:16:56. > :16:59.been an outstanding success. Could I thank her for the answers so far.
:17:00. > :17:05.While she can speak eloquently and we are all very pleased about what
:17:06. > :17:09.has taken place economically. There she agree with me on the need for
:17:10. > :17:12.her to work closer with Northern Ireland MPs and the executive to
:17:13. > :17:21.establish a much more robust economic strategy to regenerate the
:17:22. > :17:26.economy? Rather than see herself just active in policy? I think
:17:27. > :17:31.closer working is always desirable. I think the economic pact gives us a
:17:32. > :17:38.strong platform to do that. The fact we have brought the Economic Pact
:17:39. > :17:42.implementation into line with the process for the Fresh Start and
:17:43. > :17:46.Stormont House Agreement gives us more opportunities to work with
:17:47. > :17:52.other pieties to make sure Northern Ireland strides into the future. --
:17:53. > :17:59.other parties. It set out a number of measures to assist with the
:18:00. > :18:04.executive's finances, including packages of around 2.5 million,
:18:05. > :18:09.welfare reform and measures to improve efficiency the public
:18:10. > :18:18.factor. When she except there is now a major threat to the sustainability
:18:19. > :18:23.of the executive's finances in her view was -- if her view was to
:18:24. > :18:28.prevail and the UK left the EU? The government has been stated by my
:18:29. > :18:31.colleague. The reality is the Northern Ireland executive's
:18:32. > :18:36.finances are on a more stable footing than they have been for many
:18:37. > :18:40.years. As a result of the Fresh Start talks, we have set up the
:18:41. > :18:43.budget crisis. That was threatening to collapse institutions. I think we
:18:44. > :18:51.should have support from the Labour Party in ensuring that stability.
:18:52. > :18:56.What assessment has she made about Northern Ireland's financial
:18:57. > :19:02.position on leaving the EU? What assessment has her civil servants
:19:03. > :19:06.made? Is she allowed to see it? The government is publishing a number of
:19:07. > :19:10.documents. As I said, I think we should welcome the dedicated work
:19:11. > :19:13.done by the UK Government and the Northern Ireland political parties
:19:14. > :19:16.to settle a budget crisis which was threatening the collapse of the
:19:17. > :19:24.institutions and the return to direct rule, which would have been a
:19:25. > :19:28.major setback. The question was meant to be about the Northern
:19:29. > :19:35.Ireland executive. The gentleman knows he is a cheeky chap. Some
:19:36. > :19:41.32,000 jobs will be created by the provision of corporation tax. 60% of
:19:42. > :19:47.those jobs in Northern Ireland come from the small and medium business
:19:48. > :19:52.sector. What discussions has she had with the Department of enterprise to
:19:53. > :19:55.ensure that small and medium businesses in effect from that
:19:56. > :20:01.corporation tax reduction? I have had many discussions over the years
:20:02. > :20:05.on these matters. We believe the devolution of corporation tax could
:20:06. > :20:14.have a hugely positive impact on the Northern Ireland economy. That
:20:15. > :20:18.includes for small businesses. I declare an interest, as a former
:20:19. > :20:27.consultant to a range of educational initiatives, across all communities.
:20:28. > :20:33.Number six. The government is committed to improving disadvantage
:20:34. > :20:36.children. These are largely devolved issues in Northern Ireland. The
:20:37. > :20:42.executive has the power to address child poverty in areas like health,
:20:43. > :20:46.and childcare. He doesn't need to declare his interest in the context
:20:47. > :20:55.of a question. He has already done so. So he can bang on with his
:20:56. > :21:01.question. Is the minister aware of the children's zone in Belfast? A
:21:02. > :21:06.programme invented in the community aimed at addressing the disadvantage
:21:07. > :21:10.in the area. Would he meet with the organisers and share the lessons
:21:11. > :21:22.being learned more widely? I am aware of that organisation. It was a
:21:23. > :21:28.very sensitive part of north Belfast. I would be delighted to
:21:29. > :21:34.meet them. And if he wants to come along, he can. The changes to the
:21:35. > :21:38.welfare reform system would actually mean more disadvantaged children now
:21:39. > :21:42.in Northern Ireland, does he accept that? No, I don't. I think the
:21:43. > :21:47.changes has proved that what we should do is make work pay. That is
:21:48. > :21:51.having a positive effect, as we see an increase in employment and more
:21:52. > :21:57.people going out, more people securing a wage. That's the best way
:21:58. > :22:07.to lift people out of poverty. Number seven. I will answer seven
:22:08. > :22:12.and ten together. The PSNI and our security partners have our full
:22:13. > :22:17.support. Funding will increase significantly. They will receive an
:22:18. > :22:22.additional 160 million to combat the security threat. I remind the house
:22:23. > :22:27.and are discussing terrorism in Northern Ireland. These are
:22:28. > :22:32.extremely serious matters. I hope that the next person will be heard.
:22:33. > :22:37.I welcome the new commitments to the pledge of office. Does my friend
:22:38. > :22:50.agree that passive acceptance of these values is not OK. I agree that
:22:51. > :22:53.they will be judged on implementation. Experience in
:22:54. > :22:57.Northern Ireland says making the declaration of getting the agreement
:22:58. > :23:01.is only part of the journey. We are determined to see the Fresh Start
:23:02. > :23:08.Agreement implemented in full. Implementation is going well to set
:23:09. > :23:15.up a strategy against palatal militarism -- paramilitaries. Will
:23:16. > :23:20.she take the opportunity to recognise the tireless work of the
:23:21. > :23:25.Police Service of Northern Ireland and MI5, who try to ensure that
:23:26. > :23:30.people in Northern Ireland remain unaffected by dissident threats? I
:23:31. > :23:35.can do that. They have our support, as set out in the Conservative
:23:36. > :23:39.manifesto for Northern Ireland. Their courage and dedication with
:23:40. > :23:43.saving lives and they themselves reign one of the main targets for
:23:44. > :23:48.attacks by dissident republican groupings, so they put their own
:23:49. > :23:57.safety on the line to defend the whole community. We withdrew from
:23:58. > :24:02.the European Union, what assessment does she think the police service
:24:03. > :24:08.will have made in Northern Ireland at the loss of the European arrest
:24:09. > :24:12.warrant? -- if we withdrew. It is clear and has been set out in a
:24:13. > :24:19.number of documents. What we have agreed on is the essential nature of
:24:20. > :24:23.security measures between the UK and Ireland and continuing that whatever
:24:24. > :24:29.the result of the referendum will be. Will she do what she can to
:24:30. > :24:32.unite the community in support of this police against terror and will
:24:33. > :24:37.she agree with me that that job will be made much easier if senior police
:24:38. > :24:44.officers, who this week took a decision to relocate memorials to
:24:45. > :24:50.murdered colleagues away from public facing positions in police stations,
:24:51. > :24:53.into back offices. Relocate that, reconsider that and ensure the
:24:54. > :24:59.campaign against terror gets support right across the community? I will
:25:00. > :25:03.certainly reflect on the last point he made about the location police
:25:04. > :25:10.memorials. I do think it is crucially important to build support
:25:11. > :25:14.for the PSNI across community. I think the support levels are at
:25:15. > :25:20.their highest levels and I welcome that. Number eight. The government
:25:21. > :25:24.remained committed to working with the executive, rebalancing the
:25:25. > :25:30.Northern Ireland economy. The long-term economic plan is working,
:25:31. > :25:34.delivering for Northern Ireland. There are 46,000 more people in
:25:35. > :25:42.employment and in 2010. Wages are more than 5%. The government
:25:43. > :25:46.recently set up an independent infrastructure commission to ensure
:25:47. > :25:48.a long-term view on key infrastructure projects. What he
:25:49. > :25:56.doing to ensure the infrastructure can then it -- commission is
:25:57. > :26:03.dedicated and can he name some projects? My right honourable friend
:26:04. > :26:08.the Chancellor has been in touch to make sure that we can ensure it is
:26:09. > :26:12.UK wide. I am delighted that because of the efforts with the Fresh Start
:26:13. > :26:17.Agreement that the Northern Ireland executive is well on the way to
:26:18. > :26:22.invest in new funding and infrastructure, including new roads
:26:23. > :26:28.and they will get a 21st-century road network that will improve
:26:29. > :26:40.economic development. Questions to the Prime Minister. Question number
:26:41. > :26:41.one. Thank you. This morning I