Live Northern Ireland Questions House of Commons

of State for Northern Ireland and I

have one of the questions here. The

first is about donations to

political parties and we can go over

to see that now.

Question one, Mr

Speaker.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. The

recent publication by the electoral

committee of commissions alone state

for Northern Ireland parties is a

positive step that should be

welcomed by the whole house. The

decision to back the transparency

was taken on the basis of broad

support for the majority of

political parties in Northern

Ireland.

Mr Speaker, it has been

recently revealed that a portion of

the largest ever political donation

given to a party in Northern Ireland

was spent on services linked to

Cambridge and all of the car. On the

basis of this, should transparency

not be backdated to 2014 so we can

have full disclosure of where that

cash came from?

As I say, the

decision to back dated July 2017 and

was taken to the broad support of

the majority of parties in Northern

Ireland, my predecessor did take

time to consult with the parties in

July 2017 was the days they wish to

start the transparency from.

I think

my right honourable friend the

Secretary of State has already

answered the question I was asked to

ask which was where all the parties

actually agreeing not to take it

back to 2014?

As I say, my

predecessor consulted with all the

parties and this was the position

that was supported by the broad

majority of parties.

The Secretary

of State will be able to confirm

that even if the regulations did go

back to 2014, there is no

information that would be published

that has not already been published.

Can the Secretary of State also

confirmed the disparity when there

is no mention in this chamber or

elsewhere of the dark money received

by Northern Ireland parties from

foreign jurisdictions? This is the

only place that it is allowed to

occur and it should stop.

Mr

Speaker, I firmly believe that

transparency is the important thing

that we have here that we should all

know where money is coming from and

I understand the honourable

gentleman's comments.

I'm really

very interested to hear the

explanation from the Secretary of

State why the Northern Ireland

Office deliberately, wilfully

ignored the advice and

recommendations of the Electoral

Commission 's that the publication

of donations to political parties

should be backdated to 2014 and

2017.

There was no wilful ignoring

or anything else. My predecessor

consulted with all the parties in

Northern Ireland and was support for

July 20 17.

We know about one

questionable donation that was

channelled from Scotland to the DUP

to be used in the Brexit referendum.

People are quite rightly asking what

the original source of that money

was and whether there are others

that we don't know about. Is the

Secretary of State will not consider

revising the recent decision to

limit transparency and get it back

to 2014, alternatively, was to bring

forward legislation to allow

individual parties to instruct the

Electoral Commission to reveal their

donation data?

As I have said, we

are keen to ensure there is

transparency but the question she

asks are a matter for political

parties in themselves, not a matter

for the Government.

Letter number

two.

With permission, I will answer

questions to and AIDS together. The

Secretary of State and I have

regular conversations with the

Northern Ireland political parties

on a range of issues. This includes

matters relating to the UK's

departure from the European Union.

As we have said repeatedly, these

conversations are no replacement for

a fully functioning, locally elected

and democratically effective

executive. That is what Northern

Ireland needs and that is what we

are focused on.

Does my right

honourable friend agree with me that

as we leave the EU, it is essential

that current levels of Security and

cooperation between the UK and

Ireland which are so important in

the fight against terrorism are

improved and enhanced. -- maintained

and enhanced.

I agree

wholeheartedly. All parties have

been clear that there will not be

any disruption to the north-south

security cooperation when it comes

to policing and tackling the

terrorist threat. I applaud the

incredible work done by the Police

Service of Northern Ireland and the

gardai to keep us safe. That will

not change after the EU exit.

Will

he reassure the House that as the

UK, including Northern Ireland leave

the EU, this hasGovernment's

commitment to the Belfast agreement

remained steadfast?

I can

categorically provide this

commitment. Our negotiation strategy

puts the Belfast agreement at the

heart of our approach. As the Prime

Minister and others have said, we

will continue to abide by the UK's

commitments in the Belfast

agreement.

Given the meeting that

was held on Monday between the

Secretary of State for Exiting the

European Union and Michel Barnier,

can the Minister at the NIA all

confirmed that it remains the

Government's clear position that the

backstop arrangements, so-called, as

proposed by the European Commission

is something that no British Prime

Minister or Government could ever

agree to?

May I just say to the

honourable gentleman that the Prime

Minister has made her views

absolutely clear on that. The

economic and cause additional

integrity of our country will not be

harmed.

The Minister, because it is

a notion that as a result of the

transitional arrangements that

somehow the Government has reneged

on that particular pledge and it

remains a firm commitment of the

Government to the constitutional and

political and economic integrity of

the United Kingdom and as we move

forward, will he ensure that

industries like the fishing industry

in Northern Ireland will be

protected going forward after we

leave the EU and that we ensure we

take back control of our territorial

waters, including our rights for

fishermen?

The gentleman makes some

good points. I can confirm that the

agreement that was released in

December in the joint report, they

still remain and certainly Britain

will be doing all it can possibly do

to ensure that all our industries,

particularly fisheries, I maintained

and that our fishermen are well

looked after as well as the

industry.

I'm sure one of the issues

that the Minister and Secretary of

State will have discussed with the

political parties in Northern

Ireland is the problem is that they

see with the hard border returning

in Ireland. What are those problems

and what does the ministers suggest

we do to avoid them?

The Prime

Minister and the Secretary of State

and many others have made it

absolutely clear there will be no

hard border.

That's not much of an

answer, Mr Speaker, and I think the

Government should be acknowledging

that the parties all think that

there would be problems with a hard

border, just as the Chief Secretary,

the Northern Ireland select

committee, the Irish Government and

many on his own benches know there

will be problems and should he not

therefore be acknowledging them and

telling me how is that the only way

to avoid a hard border is for us to

stay within the customs union and

the single market?

The people of

Britain, England, Scotland, Northern

Ireland and Wales, collectively

agreed to leave the single market,

to leave the customs union and that

will be the case. As far as the

border is concerned, the joint

report of December made it

absolutely clear there will be no

physical infrastructures, no hard

border, a frictionless border and

that is what is being negotiated and

disgust at present.

Number three,

please, Mr Speaker.

I will answer

questions three, five, six and seven

together. I regularly is big with

the Irish Government and we

recognise the importance of trade

across the island of Ireland.

Equally, Great Britain markets are

fundamentally important in Northern

Ireland sales with some £14.6

billion as the Prime Minister

reinforced in her Mansion House

speech, we are committed to

protecting both of these vital

markets.

The Dail was told yesterday

that there will be no formal

withdrawal agreement between the UK

and the EU if the Irish border issue

is not resolved. The Minister has

already said this morning that there

will be no hard border but can the

Secretary of State explain to us how

that process will come about?

Mr

Speaker, I don't think the

honourable lady has said anything

that is news to anybody. We are

committed to the agreement is that

we made in the joint report. We are

committed to the Belfast agreement

and all that that stands for and we

will ensure that there is no new

physical infrastructure at the

border and that there is

frictionless trade.

Simon Coverley

also told the Dail yesterday that

the UK Government had provided a

cast-iron guarantee that will ensure

no physical infrastructure, checks

or controls at the Gordon -- border

post Brexit. Can the Secretary of

State confirmed as?

I think I have

just answered that question. There

will be frictionless trade,

frictionless movement at the border

and no new physical infrastructure.

Last week, the Prime Minister spoke

favourably about the Smart border

two point report. Yesterday, in

evidence to the Brexit committee, it

was confirmed that the report was

not tailored to the needs of Ireland

and was incompatible with the

December agreement that there should

be no hard border. Can the

Government confirmed that this

report will not form the basis of

any future negotiations on

agreements with the European Union.

I am not familiar with that

particular report. I will look into

it.

Yesterday, the Irish Foreign

Minister suggested that the EU that

UK transition agreement could be

extended beyond 2020 if better

reasons were not in place for the

Irish border. Can I ask, do the

problems with dealing with the

border mean that the UK could stay

in the single market, the customs

union and the Common fisheries

policy for longer than 2020 and be

there without any say?

Mr Speaker, I

presume the honourable gentleman

wrote the question before the

announcement in Brussels between

Michel Barnier and my honourable

friend the Secretary of State free

exiting the European Union. The

transitional arrangements will end

in December 20 20. The United

Kingdom voted to leave the European

Union. This means leaving the single

market and the customs union. That

is what we will do.

I am sure that my right honourable

friend have every sympathy with the

Irish Government, they didn't want

Brexit, and there are lots of

indications violent and no upside.

Will they press on in Dublin

nevertheless that the option put

forward in the draft withdrawal

agreement is wholly unacceptable,

and that they should work with us to

ensure that option one goes forward.

Mr Speaker, both the UK Government

and the Irish Government has stated

that we would like to address the

issue of the Irish border through

the overall EU relationship as set

out by often one in a joint report.

I thank my right honourable friend

for her answers. Clearly it is in

the interest of both Northern

Ireland and the republic that there

is a com of free trade deal between

the United Kingdom and the Umax. --

European Union.

Mr Speaker, I think

the way that I would sum it up is

that this is either a win-win or a

lose - lose. There isn't a win -

lose option, and the other side

wins. We all benefit if we get the

free-trade arrangements and the

border issue sorted.

Do you share my

confidence that we will get a

satisfactory solution to such trade

issues and negotiations after and

ready for when we leave the eu.

Mr

Speaker, I share the optimism about

this. I believe that we can

negotiate a deal that works for all

sides.

Mr Speaker, do you think it

would be a good idea to think that

to get our colicky Brexit secretary

and Michel Barnier, -- our colleague

and Brexit secretary and Michel

Barnier to debunk this nonsense and

myth of a hard border which would be

a relevant and impossible to

enforce.

Mr Speaker, the noble

gentleman makes it very good point.

They're wrong war crossing point in

a 310 miles of land border between

the Northern Ireland and the

Republic of Ireland stand out are on

the whole of the Eastern land border

on the whole of the European Union,

but without the non-member states,

but I think you should be reassured

that both Mr Barnier who was working

at the time of the Belfast

agreement, and my right honourable

friend be Secretary of State by the

European Union are very familiar

with that border.

90 very much

indeed, Mr Speaker. Now that spring

has come and there is a lightness

and warmth in the air, maybe Equinox

optimism extends to all politicians

in Northern Ireland but, the

Secretary of State is as I know well

aware of the important role of the

British, Irish intergovernmental

conference, and it's played during

the particular period of direct

rule, where there were a team

meetings of June 1999 and 2007. And

with no devolution and the horrors

of Brexit moving any larger, what

plans have you got to reconvene at

that conference when and where?

It

seems ironic that on the day whether

12 hours exactly of daylight, we

have scheduled 12 hours programme to

debate the legislation later. It may

well not be enough. Depends what the

shadow set years to field. I do

discuss regularly with the dominant

issues about our commitments to the

Belfast agreement, and I continue to

reflect on those matters.

I am

disappointed that there was a less

than fully attentive audience to the

thespian gentleman, but there are

always other occasions on which

people can listen more closely.

Well, another time. On summer

evenings that lie ahead.

How do you

follow that, Mr Speaker? Number

four.

I'm not even going to try. Mr

Speaker, this Government is

committed to building a stronger

economy fit to the future and right

across the United Kingdom. That is

clear from our industrial strategy

and from the spring statement where

we continue to identify further

opportunities for investment in

Northern Ireland. Ultimately,

though, a he requirement in both is

political stability. That is why it

is essential that the restored

executive is in place to take

forward strategic decisions and

deliver Northern Ireland's economy.

TATO not only has operations but

also in Northern Ireland. What's

that is my honourable friend taking

to make sure that these UK wide

manufacturing injury histories --

industries continue to grow and

prosper.

It is one of the many

success stories for growth. For our

industrial strategy, we are creating

conditions were successful

businesses such as the TATO group,

can thrive, helping them to invest

in the future are, Nato -- our

future. As we leave the year and

develop new trade relationships.

Mr

Speaker, the Institute of excellence

has said that if Northern Ireland

isn't in the single market or the

customs union, they will face three

15 million in codes. How many tens

of thousands of administrative

Northern Ireland need to continue

current straight, let alone expand

it.

I can rebut pessimistic aims

with fact. There are 66,000 more

jobs now than in 2010, and 15,000 of

those jobs were in the last year,

and since 2010, we have 12,300 new

businesses.

When we leave the EU,

this house will no longer be

prohibited from reducing the rate of

corporation tax for Northern

Ireland. Is it a step that the

minister would consider taking?

What

I say to my honourable friend, is

that we are very much hoping that

the devolved assembly would be up

and running because it is for them

to actually take on the decision of

reducing corporation tax, and we are

very committed for them to do that

on the basis that they can show

sustainable finances.

Thank you, Mr

Speaker. Despite the ongoing

political situation in Northern

Ireland, Northern Ireland had in

fact had a very positive business

environment this year, particularly

in relation to foreign direct

investment. Would the Minister

consider establishing a formal and

regular business forum to include

invest NI, business organisations

and local businesses in at Northern

Ireland to insure that you maximise

the opportunities arising from the

UK leaving the eu.

The honourable

lady make a very good point. I have

just been given the assurance that

by the right honourable friend that

she would be happy to participate in

this adventure.

With policing is a

devolved matter and should be

continued at storm on. Both the

Secretary of State and I have met

with the Chief Constable to the

scuffed issues. They do this superb

job and always have the full support

of this Government. We have

estimated that a £32 million a year

will be required to support the

response to Northern Ireland related

terrorism.

Bearing in mind that the

potential overtime bill for the P N

S I could be 48 million, with its be

better to have a recruitment policy,

more feet in the ground, and not

just the overtime bill to ensure

that the police officers are not put

down having to work overtime? Would

you consider that?

The honourable

gentleman makes a good point, but he

will of course be aware that the PS

NI operational matter, as far as

starting them, is very much a matter

for the Chief Constable to deal

with, and it is something that I

hope he is taking on board to deal

with the what the honourable

gentleman has said.

Thank you Mr

Speaker, question ten. Mr Speaker,

there is ongoing positive engagement

between UK Government officials and

the Northern Ireland Irish civil

service to ensure that...

At the

moment, children from Northern

Ireland can access emergency heart

surgery in Dublin, cancer patients

from the Republic have treatment in

Derry, ambulances crossed the border

to attend emergencies. Canny

Secretary of State give a guarantee

that that will continue Brexit?

The

Speaker, I visited the hospital in

Derry and sulphur myself the

treatment that patients from the

Republic of Ireland and -- saw for

myself the treatment that patients

receive. About a third of the

patients in Derry come from the

Republic. It is essential, as agreed

in the joint report in December that

we do maintain that situation.

There

is a considerable --

there is a

considerable hubbub in the chamber,

which is arguably unfair.

Thank you,

Mr Speaker. The Secretary of State

will be aware of the European health

cards systems will stop does the

Secretary of State envisaged that

continuing, or some other

arrangement whenever we leave the

European Union?

Mr Speaker, the

honourable gentleman will be pleased

to know that that was one of the

early after that was settled as part

of the European Union, and my right

honourable friend, the Secretary of

State for Exiting the European Union

was able to ensure that that would

continue.

Thank you Mr Speaker. The

Government is committed to improving

the welfare of all animals. Weak

speced animals across the UK to be

transported in conditions that

comply fully with welfare

requirements. We would prefer

animals across the UK to be

slaughtered close to the point of

production. Animal welfare is a

devolved matter in Northern Ireland,

it would be for a future Northern

Ireland executive to determine its

own policy.

As we leave the European

Union, can I seek insurances that in

Northern Ireland as well as in the

rest of the UK, we will use the

opportunity to enhance animal

welfare standards?

This is bigger,

my honourable friend makes a very

good point. The Government shares

the public's high regard for animal

welfare. We are proud to have some

of the highest animal welfare

standards in the world, but my

liberal friends will appreciate that

and animal welfare is a devolved

matter in Northern Ireland,... We

have been clear that if we leave the

EU -- when we leave the EU, we will

look to strengthen those

requirements where possible.

Thank

you, Mr Speaker. As the minister had

said, Northern Ireland has very high

animal welfare standards, and surely

we can do better than what the EU

offers in terms of animal welfare

standards.

Mr Speaker, it is our

intention that we would not only

stay at the same level, but actually

continue to improve our levels of

animal welfare.

It's nice to be welcomed so lovely,

isn't it?

Is it possible to hear the

Secretary of State? She didn't

realise just how popular she was,

but now she knows.

I set out the

Dollman's approached was restoring

devolved Government in the 12 of

March. As I said then, we are

determined to see devolved

Government re-established. We

continue to work with all Northern

Irish parties and the Government.

What progress has she made in

involving assembly members in

Northern Ireland in scrutiny Woods

Hassey had discussions with the

political parties and does she

expect them to be involved in

scrutiny of budget proposals

announced yesterday?

Mr Speaker,

specifically on the budget, I did

make sure that all the main

political parties had sight of the

budget before I announced it,

because I do hope sincerely that

they will be the parties that

deliver that budget. He will also

know from my statement on the draft

of March that I will have had a

number of representations and

continue to receive suggestions for

how we may end up getting some form

of working instalment, and then

considering all of those approaches.

Mr Speaker, so long as Sinn Fein

refused to enter the store Mont --

storm assembly, there is little

chance of restoring devolved

Government, and that she'll must

look at ways of ensuring that

Northern Ireland is governed

properly in the meantime.

This is

because, as I have said, there have

been a number of suggestions and

representations made to me about

what the next that might be. I am

considering all of those

representations and all of those

suggestions. I am looking for what

we can do to ensure that we do get

something that exist back on the

steps towards having fully restored

devolved Government.

The Government is continuing to work

towards the restoration of devolved

Government in Northern Ireland, for

precisely this reason.

There is

still too much noise in the chamber.

That hear the voice of Vauxhall.

I

am afraid that is written not good

enough. This is a hugely important

sporting event that Northern Ireland

has won the right to host, the

Secretary of State must make these

decisions. We cannot wait until we

get another executive, it could be a

very long time, this decision must

be made and the Secretary of State

must actually show that she is in

charge.

Mr Speaker, I feel as if I

am answering questions in my

previous role as digital culture

media and is sport. My vision have

met the Northern Ireland

Commonwealth Games Council, to

discuss whether the option of

holding the 2021 games in Northern

Ireland could be sustained until

such time as the Bosman institutions

are restored.

In relation to

Northern Ireland, we are heavily

dependent on tourism, and adventures

of an -- event driven tourism.

Unfortunately, we do not agree that

we are getting a fair crack of the

whip when it comes to delivery from

the body involved.

Let's focus up on

the --

are you focus on the games?

He is quite right, the 2021 youth

games would bring tourists to your

then -- Northern Ireland. I have had

discussions about the issue of

tourism in Northern Ireland. I am

sure that he would welcome the