Speeches by Robinson.

“That is another half a billion pounds.”

“Finally, you mentioned legacy, and as a society we all suffered through the Troubles, but police and police family particularly suffered considerably through the legacy of the Troubles. In a session like this, when we are talking about the inability to pay holiday pay, to recognise service of officers in Northern Irela…”

“It is just on the morale of officers, legacy and money.”

“Good morning to you all. Ann, I want to ask you this question and it is around assessed levels of need. You will know that, as with all things in life, not least public services, there is a big difference between want and need. Over the last three or four years, it has taken quite some time and a lot of effort, in this…”

“Good morning, all. You will find that, over the next series of questions, each of us is going to direct our questions to one individual, so I am not ignoring you, Alan or Graham. Pamela, you had mentioned the impact of lack of resource for policing. You had suggested that you are having to take drastic decisions around…”

“No other part of the justice family has had to do that. Are you getting the support you require from the Justice Minister? There was an issue a few months back with correspondence, and it was quite unseemly from the Department. Are you getting the support you require, or does there need to be a greater way in which you…”

“Is there enough political awareness about some of the issues that you are going to face down the line on the McCloud judgment, holiday pay and legacy liability? Do you have a global sum that needs to be publicly aired as to what that may mean to future policing budgets?”

“That is another half a billion pounds.”

“Finally, you mentioned legacy, and as a society we all suffered through the Troubles, but police and police family particularly suffered considerably through the legacy of the Troubles. In a session like this, when we are talking about the inability to pay holiday pay, to recognise service of officers in Northern Irela…”

“It is just on the morale of officers, legacy and money.”

“You started off your answer by saying that you have never had a Department indicate to you that they would not wish to have more money. Fair enough—that is understandable. Have you ever had a Department indicate to you a level of defensiveness that suggests they do not have room for improvement and that they do not acc…”

“Thank you—that is a useful example. Sir Robert, you chair the Northern Ireland Fiscal Council, but you have experience and professionalism born out of knowledge in London and Whitehall and the structures here. In an earlier answer, Dorinnia said that there are deficits not only in funding, but in skills and in capacity…”

“Is that a structural problem within Northern Ireland, or is it a consequence of enforced multi-party coalition Government?”

“Very briefly, on the stabilisation money, Sir Robert, you are right to say that there was an allocation within that £3.3 billion of £1.1 billion for stabilisation money. There was also circa £658 million for immediate pay pressures to meet pay awards. As you know, that is a one-off allocation for pay awards and it is n…”

“Good morning to you all. My first question is a general one: which public services are most in need of improvement? Can you even quantify that or narrow it down? Dorinnia, maybe from your experience you might be able to talk to us about where, in the past, you have seen the greatest deficit in the ability to deliver pu…”

“My hon. Friend mentions information that should be shared, and accountability. What about transparency in commissioning? He has raised this issue on a number of occasions over the years. Is he satisfied that there is transparency in the commissioning process? Is there opportunity and fairness in the process, or is ther…”

“The last time you and I were on a farm, it was a limited company. How prevalent would that be in Northern Ireland agriculture?”

“Just on succession, Richard, how hard is it to get the older generations to pass their holding to the younger generation?”

“This change has encouraged a discussion around tax planning, tax shielding, passing things and getting tapered relief over seven years. Very often, you hear farmers come back and say that they are concerned about who the son is in a relationship with and where that is going to go. There is a reluctance there. There jus…”

“You had a reader in east Belfast at the weekend. That is good going. I hope that this is not an unfair question, but we have talked about the threats, the dangers, the lack of data, and maybe the misunderstanding of Northern Ireland’s perspective over England, Scotland and Wales. Have any of you, over the last number o…”