Speeches by Sewards.

“Not content with suppressing its own people, the Iranian regime now lashes out at civilians and our allies across the region. The new head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is an internationally wanted terrorist, implicated in the 1994 attack on the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina in Buenos Aires and respo…”

“10. What steps her Department is taking to help ensure accountability for human rights violations against protesters in Iran.”

“Drilling down now into the major initiatives designed to encourage reading, you have already referenced it but the Department for Education launched the National Year of Reading this year. We are two months in. That is 16%—or 17%, if you round up—done. What are the objectives of the National Year of Reading? How can we…”

“Brilliant. Before I bring in Annie and Debbie, and feel free to answer this follow-up question too, the previous National Years of Reading took place in 1998 and 2008. How effective were they and have we learned any lessons from them to make sure that this one has long-term impact?”

“Brilliant. Before I bring in Annie and Debbie, and feel free to answer this follow-up question too, the previous National Years of Reading took place in 1998 and 2008. How effective were they and have we learned any lessons from them to make sure that this one has long-term impact?”

“Thank you very much. I will bring in Annie and Debbie for any additional comments.”

“I could not agree more. Any regulatory regime introduced nationally needs to take into account how different faiths and cultures bury their dead. In order for environmental health officers to conduct their work properly, they would need the backing of the Local Government Association, but it recently indicated in comme…”

“The Iranian regime kills its own people, funds terrorist proxies in Hamas and Hezbollah, backs Putin’s aggressive war in Ukraine, and now puts British civilians and our armed forces in the firing line. By some accounts, it is already a failed state. I absolutely back the Prime Minister’s decision to allow UK military b…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell. Fundamentally, I think it is right that graduates contribute to their education. I did so via a plan 1 loan and a subsequent postgraduate loan, too. For all its faults, that system ensured that universities could accommodate record numbers of people like me, wh…”

“I have a question for Emily and Emma. How would you describe the condition and overall completeness of adoption records for those adopted before 1976?”

“In 2021, the Irish Government issued an apology to the survivors of mother and baby homes for the “profound generational wrong” that was inflicted upon them. What steps led to that apology?”

“In 2021, the Irish Government issued an apology to the survivors of mother and baby homes for the “profound generational wrong” that was inflicted upon them. What steps led to that apology?”

“Why did the Irish Government make those mistakes in the build-up to the apology?”

“Would you be able to do that after you have reviewed the records? That would be incredibly helpful.”

“Why did the Irish Government make those mistakes in the build-up to the apology?”

“As a follow-up, what gaps are in the records that make it harder for adoptees or birth families to understand or reconstruct their personal histories? Peter answered this in part already, so I will go to Brenda. What is missing?”

“As a follow-up, what gaps are in the records that make it harder for adoptees or birth families to understand or reconstruct their personal histories? Peter answered this in part already, so I will go to Brenda. What is missing?”

“Accounting for what you have said about the build-up to the apology and the apology itself, several measures have been put in place since that apology was given, and you referenced them in your answer. I want to reference here the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022, and also the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment…”

“Going back to Brenda and Peter, can you tell us about the adoption records that your organisations hold? Can you also tell us what type of information is typically available in these records?”

“We will return to that, but first, Peter, what records do you hold?”