Speeches by Robinson.

“I have some figures here from 2024-25, which are the most recently published figures I could find. According to them, there were 140 disruptions in Northern Ireland over a six-month period, compared with 37 in the period before, so that is an increase. The high-impact disruptions decreased from 11 to 6. If we take the …”

“Are those two different things?”

“Let me stop you there, because I want to pursue what you said. You have been operating on the island of Ireland as one unit. I know you are with PSNI in Northern Ireland, which is a part of the United Kingdom. I also know that you have something in the region of 170 international liaison officers—I assume they are not …”

“Can you set out your agency’s role and remit within Northern Ireland, and particularly your relationship with the Police Service of Northern Ireland?”

“Thank you. Gentlemen, I do not know who wishes to speak for the NCA. Mr Jones, you are the main man in the middle.”

“I will give you an example as a Member of Parliament. Claire Hanna and I, both representing Belfast constituencies, spend a lot of time working with and supporting the Belfast Central Mission, which supports individuals who are subject to immigration controls. One famous example was of a lady—I will not name her, but I…”

“Do you think our border controls are too lax?”

“Well, you say “personally”; I assume you are here representing the Home Office. Let’s go for a collective view first, and then if there is anything you want to add personally, we can certainly hear it.”

“Good morning, gentlemen. Mr Summers, you will have heard some of the exchanges about the porous nature of the border in Northern Ireland and the challenges that that presents to you and Home Office colleagues. We are aware of a facility in Belfast. Those of us who travel from Northern Ireland to London on a weekly basi…”

“Yes. I am asking if you just have a look—”

“I am suggesting, Secretary of State, that you take a look at clauses 44 to 47 and paragraph 9 of schedule 1. Then you will be able to consider more fully whether there is a conflict between the notion that you have a role in determining conflicts of interest and the notion that you do not.”

“In terms of conflicts of interest, the Government’s note to us indicates that the Secretary of State will have no role in determining conflicts of interest, yet paragraph 9 of schedule 1 of the Bill states that, “A person may not be appointed as a Commissioner if…the Secretary of State considers that there is a matter …”

“Yes.”

“No, in the legislation they are a full member of the board with voting rights.”

“With the Equality Commission or the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, for example, the chief executive officer will sit on the board, but they are not a member of that board, and they are not responsible for overseeing themselves. If the purpose of your oversight board is to instil confidence, how can it be tha…”

“I’ll take that as a yes. In advance of Committee stage, you will be considering amendments, not from just me and colleagues around this table, and you will be trying—I presume, hope and trust—to reach consensus. Have you given any further thought to how the chief executive officer of the legacy commission can sit on th…”

“Would you be surprised if it were not completed by three weeks today?”

“So it is not scheduled for Tuesday 24 March?”

“Secretary of State, I have three quick questions on the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill. Will we have concluded Committee stage by three weeks today?”

“Yes, but, Secretary of State, they are not direct threats. Police officers throughout the rest of the United Kingdom are not personally being threatened. They are not routinely driven in armoured cars or routinely armed. It is different. Comparable funding—”