Speeches by Robinson.

“That’s absolute nonsense.”

“We took evidence from CAJ a couple of weeks ago. They published a report in February castigating the Irish Government for never having created any legacy mechanism whatsoever. Is that a view you share?”

“Mr Brecknell, I do not think we have met before, but you have engaged with the Committee during your visit. How would you characterise the consultation over the last number of months?”

“Sandra, how would you characterise the NIO’s efforts at consultation over the last four months?”

“Good morning, folks. Kenny, I will start with you, just on the basis of what you have said about engagement having increased in the last number of weeks and months. The Secretary of State indicated on 4 December that he was going to engage in a programme of consultation. Would you suggest that the engagement you have h…”

“Is it fair to categorise that response as saying that you are not being consulted on the Government’s proposals; you are just being asked, perhaps more routinely, what your view of the world is?”

“In court processes, you have special advocates. You can have people who can look at these things devoid of any interest—devoid of family interest, state interest and so on. Sandra, is this something you guys have been engaged in—how you can do it, mechanically? It seems to me that if there is going to be an injection o…”

“It is an interesting discussion back and forth. This national security issue has been a bone of contention throughout the process of legacy and ICRIR. As part of the consultations I was asking you about earlier, have you had direct discussions about how families could at least have the comfort of knowing that, when the…”

“Thank you. You have mentioned already composites are very important but we led the way in Belfast with the A220 there, the wings facility, so you have been paid £559 million to take the wings facility. What is taking so long for it to be concluded?”

“When do you think it will be concluded?”

“To move away from my first question about this process, can I ask you about your frustrations? We will take one example recently, the medium-lift helicopter procurement opportunity from MOD. It has a civilian side to it, it has a defence side, it is clearly a defence procurement opportunity. The tender goes out, they s…”

“But she is free to speak now, Chair.”

“Oriel, do you roll your eyes whenever a Government put out these grand plans that do not align with your corporate ambition or do you seize them and invest in the regions of the UK?”

“One fifth of the UK average in Northern Ireland for defence spend, just to encourage you. John.”

“Thank you to the panellists. You may know I am representing the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee today and thank you, Chair, for that inclusion. We have conducted an inquiry on defence spend in Northern Ireland. Babcock and BAE were recognised back in 2017 and the National Shipbuilding Strategy was to follow a modula…”

“First it was the pensioners and their winter fuel allowance, then it was the WASPI women and broken promises, and now it is the sick and the vulnerable. We believe in protecting the taxpayer but also in protecting those who need our support the most, yet there was not a word about abuse or about those who are taking mo…”

“I did not think I would have to wait so long to be the first to intervene on my hon. Friend. I congratulate him on securing this debate. He is right to highlight the unifying elements of St Patrick, our patron saint. He mentions that he is a Unionist. Of course, it is the St Patrick’s cross that represents us in our na…”

““The Lord of the Rings” is a good example of a place where trees can uproot themselves, walk across the border and cause trouble over there.”

“The disproportionality point, which you started with and to which I referred, is the sort of thing that I think Lord Murphy needs to hear about, if there are these wider conversations with the EU.”

“That is quite a simple process.”