Speeches by Patrick.

“No—I have as well, absolutely. In fact, I have met each of the Executive Ministers, some several times. I have also asked our officials to help clear some blockages where they appear. I have also met Ministers here to understand what better information-sharing expertise could be offered to support—”

“I have not met directly with the transformation board, but we have a representative from the Northern Ireland Office on it. I have met representatives on it. I met one of the independent experts who has been appointed and we had a very enthusiastic conversation about the prospect that AI could help transform public ser…”

“On a point of correction, tomorrow’s meeting is not the first meeting. I want to be really clear about that. I met them last month and have had conversations going back some months. We made sure that as soon as there was something clearly to communicate about what the local growth fund split looked like—that was in Nov…”

“That is why we are meeting with the PEACEPLUS body tomorrow to see what can be done, how we can be creative and how we can support that. I am sure the Executive will be asking themselves the same questions now after yesterday’s announcement of £225 million. On the principle here, devolution is really important. We have…”

“No, don’t apologise—I hear it. I have heard and felt the same passion from the groups I have met on the ground in Northern Ireland, and I have heard it from colleagues around this table and other Northern Irish MPs. I really hear it. That is why we want to work as practically as we can to identify a way of funding that…”

“Soon, I hope. I know that the board has now got its recommendations. I think the next stage is for the Executive to bring that recommendation to Government, and will it be for us to then make a swift decision.”

“I hear that, but any of those people who do not want Northern Ireland to work have a whole room of opponents here. That is why we are here. We are here to find out what is not working and how we change that. We are here to find out what is working well and work out how we accelerate that. Part of my job—whether it is m…”

“I think the Secretary of State set out that he had a meeting recently with party leaders to hear those ideas. You will know that I was at the debate in Westminster Hall. That was a fruitful, interesting debate, and people had different ideas. I think you are right that there was an appetite for doing something, but the…”

“First, I acknowledge the difficulty that this has caused to the voluntary and community sector. I have heard that in representations from people around this room and I have heard it in meetings directly with them; I have seen it quite clearly. I know it is not an easy period. I can talk through the local growth fund an…”

“That recommendation has gone straight to the Executive, as per the function. I think that is what happened in the first tranche as well.”

“Thank you very much, Secretary of State, and thank you for that question, Ms Murray. I think the Secretary of State gave you a really comprehensive overview of the funding situation. Regarding health, I think that in Minister Nesbitt we have a Health Minister who is really starting to see some good results with his res…”

“Good. Well, let me maintain that.”

“I am energetic. I am determined. I wake up each and every day thinking, “How do we make life better for people?” In my job, I think about the Matthew living in Northern Ireland who wants a GP service that works for him, a school that works for his children, a hospital that can look after his family, and sufficient hous…”

“I do apologise if I have not demonstrated sufficient—”

“There is a process to be followed, but I hope that that process is concluded quite quickly, so that we can make a decision and get money out to these important projects. You can see that in tranche 1, as I set out with the multidisciplinary teams, but there are others as well. If we can progress this swiftly, the peopl…”

“When I met Baroness Foster, prior to the budget of £2.25 million being secured, I had this conversation with her. I asked her, “If there is no budget, what are you able to do?” She was confident that really good work could still be done. I know she has written letters to the Department about issues that are impacting b…”

“My hon. Friend is entirely right. Some of the apprentices whom I met just last week told me that, over four years, they were more than £100,000 better off as a result of taking their apprenticeships. It is good for them, good for businesses and good for the country.”

“I am happy to join my hon. Friend in doing that. Just last week I visited Mallaghan, where four apprentices were being given incredible opportunities as a result of taking up their jobs, and I am sure they would agree with my hon. Friend’s assessment.”

“My hon. Friend is right. The strategy is not just about the defence of the realm; there are economic opportunities that come with it. The defence growth deal on which we are working in Northern Ireland will take advantage of that, and will ensure that small businesses in particular can benefit.”

“I reject that characterisation. The immunity that was offered by the last Government was false. We do not agree with that in principle, and the veterans we speak to do not want immunity under the law; they want equality before it. It was this Government who gave our armed forces the largest pay rise in over two decades…”