Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Ian Paisley

Tuesday 13th June 2023 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I think we have got the gist.

[Ian Paisley]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker.

[Mr Speaker]

Is it relevant to the questions session?

[Ian Paisley]

Yes, Mr Speaker. You will know that the issue of the Windsor framework falls within the remit of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. It is a joke to be told by an FCDO Minister that he will take this matter up with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, because DEFRA has no role in negotiating veterinary medicines. How can I obtain an answer to the question that I posed today, Mr Speaker?

[James Cleverly]

rose—

Strip Searching of Children

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Ian Paisley

Tuesday 28th March 2023 Commons Chamber

[Ian Paisley (North Antrim) (DUP)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker.

[Mr Speaker]

A point of order comes after statements unless it is relevant to the urgent question.

[Ian Paisley]

It does have relevance, Mr Speaker.

During the course of questions this morning, the terror threat level in Northern Ireland was raised to severe, making it clear that an attack is now highly likely. Is the Department able to inform the House of the reasons for that increase in the terror threat?

[Mr Speaker]

There are two things. First, the hon. Gentleman has misled me, because I thought the point of order was in relation to the question that he had asked. Secondly, we do not discuss security at this level. I think it will have been mentioned, and I am sure that somebody can contact him to give him the information that he is seeking.

That completes the urgent question.

Points of Order

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Ian Paisley

Wednesday 22nd March 2023 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I know the hon. Lady knows the answer to that. She has now put the situation on the record. As she knows, it is not a matter for the Chair but a matter for each individual to try to make sure they are correct.

[Ian Paisley (North Antrim) (DUP)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. As you know, a substantive piece of Northern Ireland business about the Windsor framework will be debated today. The Government have indicated that it will be an indication of how this Parliament feels about the entirety of the framework, even though the debate is about just one component of the framework. Given that it will be signed over on Friday by the Foreign Secretary, why has the House been allocated only 90 minutes for a debate on this very important subject? That will not give Northern Ireland Members alone enough time to debate the issue, let alone the rest of the House. How can we fix this before Friday, Mr Speaker?

[Mr Speaker]

As the hon. Gentleman knows, I have no responsibility for the amount of time allocated. That is done by the Government, who own the Order Paper. I do not own the Order Paper. Obviously, the hon. Gentleman is down to speak in the debate, so I am sure he will want to raise the point at that time.

Bill Presented

Water Quality (Sewage Discharge) Bill

Presentation and First Reading (Standing Order No. 57)

Jim McMahon presented a Bill to make provision about the monitoring of water quality; to set a target for the reduction of sewage discharges; to provide for financial penalties in relation to sewage discharges and breaches of monitoring requirements; to require the Secretary of State to publish a strategy for the reduction of sewage discharges from storm overflows, including an economic impact assessment; and for connected purposes.

Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 21 April, and to be printed (Bill 278).

Business of the House

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Ian Paisley

Thursday 9th June 2022 Commons Chamber

[Ian Paisley (North Antrim) (DUP)]

Will the Leader of the House take the opportunity to congratulate Michael Dunlop on his 20th Isle of Man TT victory, putting him in the top three racers ever to perform on the Isle of Man?

I turn the Leader of the House’s attention to another island: the island of Rathlin in my constituency, which has a wonderful puffin sanctuary. On 20 June, it will be cutting a sod for 10 new housing units, showing that the population of that little island is expanding wonderfully. However, I notice five words that interest me in the business for 20 June: Second Reading of a Bill. Should I be in my place here on 20 June? Will that Bill be relevant to Northern Ireland, or should I visit Rathlin island that day?

[Mr Speaker]

The hon. Member should be leading the TT with three questions. Come on.

Business of the House

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Ian Paisley

Thursday 3rd February 2022 Commons Chamber

[Ian Paisley (North Antrim) (DUP)]

Thank you, Mr Speaker, for agreeing to the statement later this afternoon on affairs in Northern Ireland. The Leader of the House will know—I have already spoken to him—that events in Northern Ireland are teetering on the brink: we are not months, weeks or days but moments away from the collapse of the Northern Ireland Executive. That is of course very sad, but it is entirely predictable and has been predicted from those on the Democratic Unionist party Benches for the past 13 months.

Will the Leader of the House assure us that good governance and good practices will be put in place to ensure that Northern Ireland does not fall behind in any of its governmental matters; that more time will be set aside in this House to debate issues to do with and pertinent to Northern Ireland; that the daily affairs of Northern Ireland will not be set to the side in any way; that the British Government will take full and proper charge of affairs when and where they have to; that people from the Republic of Ireland and their Government will not be allowed to interfere in the internal mechanisms and affairs of Northern Ireland; and that the frictions that exist between GB trade and Northern Ireland—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. You will be coming in later! I call the Leader of the House.

Business of the House

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Ian Paisley

Thursday 4th March 2021 Commons Chamber

[Ian Paisley (North Antrim) (DUP) [V]]

Welcome to North Antrim, Mr Speaker. I know that the Leader of the House cares passionately about this Union, and has growing concern about the breakdown of the following relationships: the internal relationships in Northern Ireland; north-south relationships across Ireland; and the UK-EU relationship, as a result of the outworking of the Northern Ireland protocol. Yesterday, during Northern Ireland questions, three Back-Bench Labour Members and one Labour Front-Bench Member expressed hostile and growing concern about the impact that the protocol is having on GB businesses trying to do trade with Northern Ireland. The Loyalist Communities Council wrote to the Prime Minister at the weekend to express concern and withdraw its support from the Belfast agreement. The Leader of the House will know the unanimous position of all strands of Unionism in their hostility and opposition to the protocol. Of course, businesses also tell us daily of the upset in respect of trade.

Will the Leader of the House inform us of when the Prime Minister will come to the House to make a statement about the extension of the grace periods put in place unilaterally by Her Majesty’s Government? What next steps will the Prime Minister take to protect the Union, to protect Northern Ireland businesses and to ensure that the genie does not get any further out of the bottle?

[Mr Speaker]

I’ve got to say that questions have to be much shorter and not statements. This is business questions.

Business of the House

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Ian Paisley

Thursday 24th September 2020 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

And sometimes it was in lieu of taxes that we got them.

[Ian Paisley (North Antrim) (DUP)]

The Times recently reported that the Prime Minister is “energised” by a “hydrogen-fuelled future”. It is not often, Mr Speaker, that you will hear this Unionist calling for the country to go green, but I am enthused and energised by what the Prime Minister has said. I wonder whether the Leader of the House can tell us if there is going to be a statement by the Prime Minister on this subject. Is there a planned policy announcement coming soon, or even a debate on the horizon? We want to ensure that we build on our hydrogen advantage as a nation and stimulate supply and demand, in parallel with the creation of a hub, hopefully in Northern Ireland, to build buses, heavy goods vehicles and cars, all made in green Ulster, to advantage our workforce.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Ian Paisley

Monday 21st September 2020 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

We are going to have to speed up the answers.

[Ian Paisley (North Antrim) (DUP)]

Operation Arbacia has exposed international terror links running from Iran to Ireland and from Hezbollah to the Real IRA. When will the Government be in a position to proscribe the framework operation of that organisation—namely, the Muslim Brotherhood—here in the United Kingdom, and when will they be able to put that organisation out of business?

Economic Update

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Ian Paisley

Wednesday 8th July 2020 Commons Chamber

[Ian Paisley (North Antrim) (DUP)]

May I take the opportunity to say thank you, Chancellor? I am already receiving text messages from my constituents— from the business community and from ordinary men and women—saying thank you to the Chancellor for some of the measures that have been announced today. So, thank you, Sir. It is a very important statement that you have made and it will benefit many of my constituents. Last week, the Prime Minister told us from the Dispatch Box that the Government were going to invest massively in hydrogen power. The Chancellor had me on tenterhooks. I was waiting for the statement. I was waiting for him to tell me that the new hydrogen strategy is about to be announced. It has not come, so he still has me on tenterhooks. Will he now commit solidly, on behalf of the Government and of the Treasury, to unlock that strategy that will unlock £1.5 billion of investment money in the whole of the United Kingdom. Invest billions of pounds into this new strategy and that will allow us to commit, as a nation, to this new, clean, green technology? Will the Chancellor meet me and colleagues—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. Mr Paisley—

[Ian Paisley]

Thank you.

[Mr Speaker]

No, not thank you. You are going to stay on those tenterhooks. You will be on them for a long time if you do that again. [Laughter.]

Business of the House

Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Ian Paisley

Wednesday 6th May 2020 Commons Chamber

[Ian Paisley (North Antrim) (DUP) [V]]

Mr Speaker—[Inaudible].

[Mr Speaker]

We now go across to Andrea Leadsom.