Speeches by Foy.

“No, we have moved on. The pass readers remain, but say the House moved to a fully electronic system, which is one of the things that we have been looking at.”

“I begin by declaring an interest as the co-chair of the all-party parliamentary group on smoking and health. I will speak to my amendments and one or two others. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill is world-leading health legislation that will create the first smokefree generation, protecting children and young people from the …”

“When cuts to incapacity support were introduced by the last Government through the work-related activity component, we saw severe rises in poverty, no significant increase in employment, and cases of mental ill health skyrocketing. In the north-east, we already have some of the highest rates of poverty and ill health i…”

“As a young worker in the late 1980s, I experienced the precarious nature of the world of work, along with many of my peers. Lack of knowledge about our rights and the fear of being sacked if we complained about our terms and conditions politicised me and made me a lifelong trade unionist and a member of Unite and Uniso…”

“This Bill presents an opportunity to confront the challenges facing our communities, protect the most vulnerable and ensure that justice serves everyone. I welcome the Government’s commitment to tackling violence against women and girls, to tackling antisocial behaviour and to halving knife crime. This is a positive st…”

“The report from the Grenfell Tower inquiry is utterly scathing about the role of central Government and their obsession with deregulation. The drive to scrap so-called red tape was a key failing, which led to such a terrible incident and the avoidable loss of life. Will the Deputy Prime Minister confirm to the House th…”

“Last December, the Royal College of Nursing Northern Ireland revealed that there is a severe shortage of nursing staff in the north—there are almost 2,000 vacancies in the sector—as well as concerns about retention. What steps is the Northern Ireland Office taking to support the Executive in providing safe levels of st…”

“3. What recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on improving public services.”

“That was more hypothetical: if there were a larger grouping of suspended MPs—not you particularly—who then might want to see, themselves as a group, do you think this should be permitted? Clearly, treated the same as any other registered party, but should they be able to use the name of that grouping if they did decide…”

“You have probably covered this mostly, but we have heard your own thoughts on what your explanation is and how you would like to be described but, as you said, there could be a few other colleagues who may join the suspended gang in the future. Hypothetically, if you had chosen to form a grouping with other colleagues …”

“If you want to go on the delegated legislation Committees, I am sure there would be lots of people who would bite your hand off. There are loads of them. You can have a few of mine, if you like.”

“For instance, if it was a Bill Committee, the Bill Committee is chosen but you can also show interest and say, “Because of my expertise, I would like to sit on a Bill Committee”. Have either of you tried that?”

“Welcome to both of you. As you know, the membership of Select Committees and other House Committees, such as the Bill Committees and the designated legislation Committees, reflect the composition of the House. Do you feel that independent MPs have their views taken into account in these proceedings? To what extent do y…”

“Yes. If it were a group going forward, a larger group, and they wanted to have a name or an affiliated descriptor.”

“Welcome to both of you. As you know, the membership of Select Committees and other House Committees, such as the Bill Committees and the designated legislation Committees, reflect the composition of the House. Do you feel that independent MPs have their views taken into account in these proceedings? To what extent do y…”

“For instance, if it was a Bill Committee, the Bill Committee is chosen but you can also show interest and say, “Because of my expertise, I would like to sit on a Bill Committee”. Have either of you tried that?”

“If you want to go on the delegated legislation Committees, I am sure there would be lots of people who would bite your hand off. There are loads of them. You can have a few of mine, if you like.”

“You have probably covered this mostly, but we have heard your own thoughts on what your explanation is and how you would like to be described but, as you said, there could be a few other colleagues who may join the suspended gang in the future. Hypothetically, if you had chosen to form a grouping with other colleagues …”

“That was more hypothetical: if there were a larger grouping of suspended MPs—not you particularly—who then might want to see, themselves as a group, do you think this should be permitted? Clearly, treated the same as any other registered party, but should they be able to use the name of that grouping if they did decide…”

“Yes. If it were a group going forward, a larger group, and they wanted to have a name or an affiliated descriptor.”