Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill
Philip Hollobone Excerpts(11 years, 5 months ago)
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Naomi Long
I beg to move amendment 10, page 4, line 5, after ‘Commons’, insert ‘or House of Lords’.
The Temporary Chair (Mr Philip Hollobone)
With this it will be convenient to discuss the following:
Amendment 11, page 4, line 7, after ‘Commons’, insert ‘or House of Lords’.
Amendment 12, page 4, line 11, at end insert—
‘(2) A person who becomes a Member of the House of Lords is not disqualified under section 1(1)(za) at any time during the period of 8 days beginning with the day the person becomes a Member of the House of Lords.’.
Amendment 13, page 4, line 30, leave out from ‘members)’ to end of line 31 and insert ‘leave out “either House of Parliament.”.’.
Clause stand part.
Amendment 14, page 4, line 36, after ‘Ireland)’, insert ‘or Seanad Éireann (the Senate of Ireland).’.
Amendment 20, page 4, line 36, at end insert ‘or Seanad Éireann (Senate of Ireland).
(dc) is a member of the House of Lords.’.
Amendment 15, page 4, line 38, after ‘Éireann’, insert ‘or Seanad Éireann’.
Amendment 3, page 4, line 41, at end add—
‘(3) In section 1(1) of the Northern Ireland Assembly Disqualification Act 1975 (disqualification of holders of certain offices and places) before paragraph (a) insert—
“(za) is a member of the European Parliament;”.
(4) After section 1B of that Act (as inserted by section 4(2)) insert—
“1C Members of the European Parliament
A person returned at an election as a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly is not disqualified under section 1(1)(za) at any time in the period of 8 days beginning with the day the person is so returned.”.’.
Clause 4 stand part.
Amendment 16, in clause 5, page 6, line 13, leave out from ‘MPs’ to end and insert
‘, members of the House of Lords or members of the Oireachtas).’.
Amendment 17, page 6, line 28, leave out from ‘MPs’ to end and insert
‘, members of the House of Lords or members of the Oireachtas); and’.
Naomi Long
I intend to keep my remarks on this group of amendments brief. I welcome the fact that the Government have acted on their promise to ensure that double-jobbing between MLAs and MPs will now be brought to an end. I also recognise that, as a result of discussions in the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, the Government have moved to include within that provision Members of Dail Eireann so that TDs, too, will not be able to hold a seat in the Assembly. I think that it is right that they have done so and welcome that move. [Interruption.]
The Temporary Chair (Mr Philip Hollobone)
Order. I am trying to enjoy what the hon. Lady is saying, but unfortunately there is a lot of chatter coming from behind the Speaker’s Chair. I am sure that hon. Members would like to hear more clearly the very important points she is making.
Naomi Long
Thank you, Mr Hollobone.
As I was saying, I welcome the fact that the Government are dealing with and resolving the issue of MP-MLA double-jobbing. That is a huge improvement. As a result of the Select Committee’s discussions, the Government have also moved to resolve the issue of TDs, who could also sit as MLAs, and to equalise the situation. That is also important and I welcome it at the outset.
The Government did this for good reason, which is the challenge of being in two legislatures at the same time—
Mike Penning
On a point of order, Mr Hollobone. I am afraid that even from this position on the Treasury Bench I cannot hear a word that is going on, mostly because of conversations at the other end of the Chamber.
The Temporary Chairman (Mr Philip Hollobone)
That is indeed a point of order, for a change. May I ask hon. Members who are not staying to listen to the debate to leave or to remain quietly?
Naomi Long
Thank you very much, Mr Hollobone. It is unfortunate that the noise blotted out all the praise that I was heaping on the Government, because I am just about to stop and start to highlight areas where they have not been quite so generous. However, I do appreciate that these issues are being addressed. I very much support that, as did the Select Committee.
These provisions are being proposed for a very good reason. Serving in two legislatures involves the physical challenge of being in two places at once. The conflict in sitting times between the House of Commons and the Northern Ireland Assembly means that Members who wished to be here today for this business would have to be absent from the Assembly, where they could be questioning Ministers and holding them to account. There is significant evidence that that creates a democratic deficit either there or here.
The problem is not restricted purely to Members who sit in the House of Commons. I recognise that the House of Lords is not structured in the same way as the Commons. Its Members do not have an electoral mandate and therefore do not have the same demands on their time with regard to constituency business. However, as a revising Chamber with a primary focus on legislation and scrutiny, it is hugely important that its Members are free to dedicate themselves to that task without the interference of a constituency burden and the other legislature that they would have to deal with when they are at the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Oral Answers to Questions
Philip Hollobone Excerpts(12 years, 5 months ago)
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Mr Paterson
I think the right hon. Gentleman underestimates the fact that the issue is devolved, and we are working closely with the devolved Minister with responsibility in this area and other Ministers in the Executive on the arrangements which will be debated shortly as the Bill is taken through the Assembly. It is very important that local circumstances are taken into account so that the Bill that emerges from the Assembly suits the circumstances in Northern Ireland.
Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)
When does my right hon. Friend expect the Welfare Reform Bill to be introduced by the Executive?
Mr Paterson
I am in regular contact with Nelson McCausland, the relevant Minister, and he is optimistic that he will stick to the schedule, which will enable Northern Ireland to come on stream, as planned, with the Department for Work and Pensions here.
Oral Answers to Questions
Philip Hollobone Excerpts(12 years, 7 months ago)
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Mr Paterson
I entirely agree that the arrangements between the new agency and the devolved police in Northern Ireland must be absolutely clear. There has been an exchange of letters between me, the Justice Minister in Northern Ireland and the Home Secretary here, with an absolutely clear statement that there can be no direction from the NCA, only co-operation with the approval of the Chief Constable.
Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)
Will the National Crime Agency have more resources than its predecessor to tackle cross-border criminal activity?
Mr Paterson
That question should be addressed to my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary.
Oral Answers to Questions
Philip Hollobone Excerpts(13 years ago)
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Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)
Given the importance of the Republic of Ireland to the Northern Irish economy, and the likelihood of a break-up of the eurozone, what discussions has my right hon. Friend had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Northern Ireland Executive about how the Northern Ireland economy could best cope with such a crisis?
Mr Paterson
I thank my hon. Friend. As he knows, the Chancellor and the Treasury are looking at all contingencies, because reports yesterday showed that the crisis in the eurozone is having a real impact on our economy. I am in regular contact with the Government in Dublin and will continue discussions.
Oral Answers to Questions
Philip Hollobone Excerpts(14 years ago)
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Mr Paterson
I am delighted to see the hon. Gentleman back in his place following his illness, as always asking pertinent questions. He will know that police levels in Northern Ireland are the highest in the United Kingdom at 4.2 per 1,000. The numbers of police are for the Chief Constable to decide—it is an operational matter—but as I have said on several occasions already in this Session, we will stand by Northern Ireland and if the Chief Constable and the Justice Minister make a good security case, we will consider access to the contingency fund.
Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)
9. What recent assessment he has made of the effects on the Northern Ireland economy of recent financial developments in the Republic of Ireland.
The Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office (Mr Hugo Swire)
We are concerned about the risk that the current economic difficulties in the Republic of Ireland might have on Northern Ireland. We will continue to work closely with the Northern Ireland Executive on these issues. The Financial Secretary and the Secretary of State met the First Minister and Deputy First Minister on 24 November to discuss these matters.
Mr Hollobone
What steps can my hon. Friend the Minister take to do his best to protect the Northern Ireland economy from the worst effects of the financial crisis in the south?
Mr Swire
As I said before, we should be proud of being part of the solution, rather than the problem, and it is right to stress the interdependence of the two economies. Ireland accounts for 5% of the UK’s total exports. We export more to Ireland than to Brazil, Russia, India and China together, and it is incredibly important—40% of Northern Ireland’s exports go there as well. So a healthy economy in Dublin is important to a healthy economy in Belfast.