Fleur Anderson MP: speeches 2025

Speeches

• 21 May 2025 · Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls · Hansard source

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  Rates of violence against women and girls are higher in Northern Ireland than anywhere else in the UK. This Government are committed to working with the Executive to tackle this emergency, and I have met and supported many politicians and organisations across Northern Ireland that are doing just that. The Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham Yardley (Jess Phillips), and I recently met the Northern Ireland TEO—The Executive Office—and Justice Ministers in Belfast to discuss working closely together, including on online safety and support for frontline organisations.

• 2 Apr 2025 · Great British Energy · Hansard source

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  The Conservatives’ energy policy now, as over the past 14 years, fails to bring down bills, still relies on expensive oil and gas, fails to invest in green jobs, and fails future generations on climate change. This Government are investing in the new technologies we need. Two weeks ago I was delighted to join the Under-Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, my hon. Friend the hon. Member for Rutherglen (Michael Shanks), at Ulster University to see its cutting-edge renewable energy and solar panel development and the benefits that the clean energy transition can bring to Northern Ireland. I am also working with the Executive on this.

• 2 Apr 2025 · Great British Energy · Hansard source

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  Great British Energy will operate across the whole of the United Kingdom, helping to reduce our reliance on imported gas and bring down energy bills. UK Ministers and GB Energy will work with Northern Ireland’s Department for the Economy to explore opportunities to increase clean energy deployment by 2030, starting with £1.6 million of funding to the Executive for sustainable energy.

• 2 Apr 2025 · Great British Energy · Hansard source

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  Where the wind farms are positioned will be subject to the normal planning processes, but wind farms and solar power offer huge opportunities to Northern Ireland. Net zero is the future; reliance on expensive oil and gas is the past. Bills will come down and jobs will grow with the new technologies that we can bring forward.

• 2 Apr 2025 · Public Sector Reform · Hansard source

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  Workforce challenges are a huge part of public service transformation. Workers across Northern Ireland do fantastic work in health, education and justice, and they need to be supported to do that and to be representative of the community. Workforce issues are devolved, but they are important, and supporting our workforce, and working with unions to do so, is an important part of our working together in an active partnership with the Executive.

• 2 Apr 2025 · Public Sector Reform · Hansard source

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  I absolutely agree. Public service transformation is not just about funding; it is about how to spend the money that the Northern Ireland Executive has with the record £18.2 billion settlement. Health is devolved, but we work together to share best practice and expertise, as well as recently agreeing £61 million of funding for multidisciplinary teams in GP surgeries. We will work together to create an NHS fit for the future, and I will be meeting the Health Minister again in Northern Ireland this week.

• 2 Apr 2025 · Public Sector Reform · Hansard source

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  Public sector reform is a priority for this Government, and I regularly meet with Northern Ireland Executive Ministers, unions and public service providers. Most recently, the Government and Executive agreed £129 million of funding for public service transformation for health, special educational needs, justice and waste water.

• 27 Mar 2025 · St Patrick’s Day and Northern Irish Affairs · Hansard source

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  It is my pleasure to respond to this debate, which establishes the point that St Patrick’s is a season that goes on beyond St Patrick’s day. I thank the Backbench Business Committee for recognising the importance of allocating time to debate St Patrick’s day and Northern Ireland affairs, and I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Ealing Southall (Deirdre Costigan), who is from Dublin originally, and my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Adam Jogee), who is on the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, on securing the debate. As he said in his opening tour de force, he has relatives from Northern Ireland and his wife is from Northern Ireland. Like them and so many people across the United Kingdom, I have roots on the island of Ireland, as two of my grandparents are from Northern Ireland—they are from Eglinton and Newcastle, County Down—and I am married to a London Irishman. I also represent 2,500 Irish-born constituents, and over 3,000 Irish passport holders, in my constituency of Putney. The link between our isles is found in St Patrick’s life as well. There is a stained-glass window of St Patrick just outside the Chamber, as he is the patron saint for Ireland and Northern Ireland, but he came from either Wales or Scotland—Scottish MPs claimed that he came from Scotland in a recent debate. His story is well known, and the good news that he brought to the island 1,500 years ago is celebrated by so many people from all communities across the island of Ireland—and by people from around the world, who also celebrate the contribution of people from Northern Ireland and Ireland to their community. I thank all hon. Members who have spoken this afternoon for highlighting the contribution of people from the island of Ireland to so many constituencies, the work of many Irish centres—including in west London, Luton and Reading—and people’s personal memories of St Patrick’s days past. The order of St Patrick has been mentioned, as has the contribution of NHS nurses. A recent book about NHS nurses begins with a nurse from Ireland going to Putney, where she receives a warm welcome and begins her nursing career. People from the island of Ireland have made important contributions to construction, music, culture, politics, hospitality and business. Like many hon. Members, I have attended many St Patrick’s day events across London and Belfast this month, including the Anglo-Irish event at Stormont, the Champ event here in Parliament, and the debate organised by the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) last Tuesday. I also attended the Mayor of London’s St Patrick’s day celebrations in Trafalgar Square, which saw thousands of people taking to the streets and, whatever their background, becoming Irish for a day. I thank the Mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan, for putting on that event. Meanwhile, the Secretary of State has been in the United States to champion Northern Ireland to the US Administration and Congress, as well as to wider Irish America. He is using his platform to promote Northern Ireland as a great place to live, study, work and do business. Last week, the Government took that further by hosting the first ever St Patrick’s day reception in No. 10, where we welcomed leaders from the business community, the voluntary sector, the arts and entertainment, and had a Guinness bar. More broadly, I have had the pleasure of travelling to Northern Ireland for many years. At first, I did so in a personal capacity, but I have been able to mix business with pleasure since my appointment as Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. I like to pack as much as possible into my trips, and I have clocked up 26 visits and over 140 engagements there since July last year. Every visit reinforces the sense that Northern Ireland is exciting and thriving. Through its small and medium-sized businesses, world-class education system, active community sector, and thriving hospitality and tourism businesses, it is leading the way for the United Kingdom in so many ways. As many other Members have said, our relationship with the Irish Government is key to supporting businesses and communities in Northern Ireland, and that is what the Secretary of State and I have prioritised. Ireland is our closest geographical neighbour and our sixth-largest trading partner. Our commitment is clearly illustrated by the Prime Minister and Taoiseach-led UK-Ireland summit, which took place in Liverpool earlier this month —the first of its kind. Building on our co-guarantorship of the Good Friday agreement, the summit established new co-operation in the areas of trade, security, climate and technology—co-operation that will benefit people across the islands right up to 2030. A new UK-Ireland youth forum was also started. I look forward to continuing our engagement through other Good Friday agreement forums, including the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference, the British-Irish Council and the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly, which has been mentioned. I can think of no better example of our family ties working to best effect than the culmination of the shared UK and Irish efforts in 1998 with the signing of the Good Friday agreement. In these times of conflict around the world, the Good Friday agreement remains a globally respected success in conflict resolution. Ceasefires can be negotiated, peace can be won and a route to maintaining that peace through politics can be found. Political courage and public support for that courage are essential. Although there remains more to be done, I am pleased to say that since the signing of the agreement Northern Ireland has become, and is becoming more and more every day, a more reconciled place. The Prime Minister, the Secretary of State and I are deeply committed to safeguarding political stability in Northern Ireland. Many Members across the Chamber know all too well the importance of having a stable devolved Government in Northern Ireland. Through the “Safeguarding the Union” Command Paper, we are delivering on UK promises in respect of Northern Ireland. We are implementing the Windsor framework and are working towards an SPS veterinary agreement, a matter that was raised by the hon. Member for Chelmsford (Marie Goldman). Most recently, we have established Intertrade UK, and the East-West Council is meeting shortly. We have digitised the Belfast News Letter and rolled out new training materials for civil servants to ensure that they have a full understanding of the significance of the Good Friday agreement and successor agreements. The Secretary of State and I will continue to deliver this work with all of the community. Transforming public services is a priority for our work with the Northern Ireland Executive. We have recently announced £129 million of public service transformation funding, to be spent predominantly on health but also on special educational needs and other projects. We are sharing expertise, best practice and success stories, and it is on this work beyond funding that Governments can work together to ensure that the Executive seizes every one of the opportunities to transform public services. Legacy is also a priority. It is a strongly felt issue that touches the lives of so many. The UK Government consider co-operation with the Northern Ireland Executive and the Irish Government essential to finding an agreed way forward. Northern Ireland is a unique and very special place. The warmth of its people, the creativity of its youth, the prestige of its industry, the charm of its landscape and the potential of its economy know no bounds. It is a privilege to be the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and this Government and I will continue doing all we can to best improve the lives of each and every person who calls Northern Ireland home—from Kilkeel to Coleraine, from Belleek to Bangor and from the causeway to Clogher.

• 25 Mar 2025 · Horticulture Trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland · Hansard source

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  I thank the right hon. Member for raising the SPS veterinary agreement; it is an important part of the picture. Many issues need to be resolved soon, both through the processes that the right hon. Member mentioned and by resetting our relationship with the EU. I met deputy heads of missions from the EU last week to talk about the opportunities in Northern Ireland, the importance of a faithful working through of the Windsor framework, and resolving these issues. Work is absolutely being done to resolve all those issues, and it will be important to reach an SPS veterinary agreement. That will not just support the Government’s mission for economic growth, which is a priority for this Government, but further protect the UK’s internal market. Achieving those goals will not only support the Union but benefit consumers. I acknowledge the strength with which the hon. Member for East Londonderry supports both those aims and common-sense solutions to working through these issues for businesses and consumers in Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom. I reassure him, and the House, that I share his support for and commitment to those aims, and to working this through. Question put and agreed to .

• 25 Mar 2025 · Horticulture Trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland · Hansard source

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  I recognise that it is frustrating that, this long after Brexit, we are still trying to work this out but it is the reality of the situation. I am glad that the hon. Member secured this debate because it adds to the urgency that is clearly needed by businesses and consumers in Northern Ireland. I want to see a solution agreed. The horticulture working group and businesses need to look at ways to work this out. Business-to-business is enabled, but business-to-consumer is hard. That is where the solution is needed.

• 25 Mar 2025 · Horticulture Trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland · Hansard source

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  It is a great pleasure to respond to this debate and to serve under your chairship, Mr Dowd. I thank the hon. Member for East Londonderry (Mr Campbell) for bringing this important debate to the Chamber, and for raising the many issues that he talked about in his speech. It was a pleasure to work with him recently to help one of his constituents. When we can do that, it is wonderful to see the results. I also thank all the other hon. Members who raised issues about their constituencies. The hon. Member for East Londonderry is a strong advocate for businesses and consumers in Northern Ireland, and I acknowledge the work that he has done and continues to do. As he said, we need to be constructive. We need to come together and get solutions. The debate will be significant in achieving that. The first provisional estimate for farm incomes in Northern Ireland in 2023, published by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, showed that the horticultural sector had an output of £70 million, with the main horticultural export being mushrooms and vegetables, which made up £46 million of that. The total gross output for agriculture in Northern Ireland in 2023 was £2.87 billion. Just two weeks ago, I visited C & L Mushrooms in Newry to learn about its success in exporting to the organic market across the UK, which it does daily. I also picked some mushrooms and learned about that with the Northern Ireland DAERA Minister, Andrew Muir. There is one fundamental point that we must accept when discussing the matter raised by the hon. Member for East Londonderry. As a result of leaving the European Union, we have two trading entities—the European Union and the United Kingdom—and the ability to have different rules while seeking to ensure the freedom of movement of goods, which is so vital for businesses, jobs and consumers across Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom. The practical outworkings of that situation are exemplified in the trading of horticultural goods, as the hon. Member has pointed out. It is important that we recognise that the island of Ireland has been treated as one single epidemiological unit for decades, and that is an important part of the negotiations that are happening now. However, the hon. Member rightly pointed out that challenges exist. The Windsor framework protects the UK internal market, while enabling the EU to be confident that its rules will also be respected. Significantly, the arrangements in the Windsor framework protect trade in agricultural goods between GB and Northern Ireland through the establishment of the Northern Ireland retail movement scheme and the Northern Ireland plant health label, also known as the NIPHL. The framework has ensured that movements of agricultural goods from Northern Ireland to Great Britain continue to benefit from unfettered market access. The Northern Ireland plant health label removes the requirement to obtain burdensome and costly phytosanitary certificates, replacing them with free-of-charge, self-printed labels. Nearly 600 businesses in Great Britain and Northern Ireland have joined the Northern Ireland plant health label scheme since it went live on 1 October 2023. Indeed, the NIPHL has also ensured that seed potatoes can once again move freely between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Since the implementation of the plant health label, more than 1,500 tonnes have been moved, protecting this key industry.

• 25 Mar 2025 · Horticulture Trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Member for raising that. I would be very pleased to visit and talk about exactly what practical issues still exist. The label scheme should have enabled free movement from business to business, so we need to address the fact that it has not in the case she mentions. The horticultural working group needs to address that as well. I would be pleased to visit and to hear more about the issues that she has already raised in the House. The framework safeguards horticultural movements—generally—providing a sustainable long-term footing. However, I recognise that improvements need to be made in the areas raised by the hon. Members for Upper Bann and for East Londonderry, and by others. That is the focus of the horticultural working group, and I commend its work. The body is co-chaired by senior officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Cabinet Office, and it draws on support from other officials in those Departments and across Government as the focus of the agenda requires. There are representatives of the Ulster Farmers Union, the National Farmers Union and the Horticultural Trades Association. Business leaders, as well as a small number of other horticultural businesses, also sit on the working group. The group meets regularly to address issues, and I welcome the constructive and honest way in which it approaches its work. I am also very ready to meet any of its members; I met the Ulster Farmers Union last week. There is guidance and support available to help businesses in Great Britian understand the schemes that can be used for moving goods from GB to Northern Ireland. The horticultural working group membership worked with UK Government officials to revise that guidance, which was published earlier this year. I reassure the House that it is a well-established process through which industry can raise issues and they will be addressed. In addition, the framework and our improved relationships with our European Union counterparts continue to facilitate the movement of high-risk plants. As the hon. Member for East Londonderry pointed out, there has been progress, but more needs to be made and that is what we need to keep working on. Through that constructive engagement, we are seeing results. Last month, we lifted the ban on a further two species of plant—silver and downy birch—taking the total to 23. The hon. Member for East Londonderry highlighted how important that is for the tree nursery in his constituency, which is doing such good work rehabilitating prisoners. The hon. Member for Upper Bann pointed out that the Woodland Trust free school packs are not available. I hope the horticultural working group will listen to that. I will point out the issue to its members, and they can work out why it is happening and work on common-sense ways in which we can overcome it. Active scientific dialogue is taking place on a further six species, including white dogwood and English yew. There is a small list that is being worked through one by one. The UK Government have submitted a further 17 species for scientific assessment, again with areas of focus being led by industry and its priorities. In matters relating to horticulture, as in other sectors, the Government have sought to resolve challenges in constructive and mutually beneficial ways. These are the actions of a responsible Government responding to the concerns of their citizens and abiding by their commitments in international law on the world stage. There are other ways in which the Government can intervene to protect and support the internal market and the flow of horticultural goods. The hon. Member for East Londonderry wrote to the Secretary of State recently to advise him of a GB-based seller of plants and seeds that was not selling to consumers in Northern Ireland. The Secretary of State asked DEFRA officials to meet representatives of that company to provide more information on the schemes available to facilitate GB-NI trade. As a result of that conversation, the company has undertaken to review its current arrangements. The hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) mentioned that there needs to be common sense in this discussion. We need to have businesses exploring solutions with the Government, hopefully enabling us to support each other.

• 11 Mar 2025 · European Remembrance Day for Victims of Terrorism · Hansard source

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  I am afraid I do not have time, because I want to respond to the issues that the right hon. Member for Belfast East raised. The right hon. Member rightly highlighted that a number of troubles-related cases have a cross-border dimension, including the Kingsmill murders, which are an appalling example of the pain and suffering inflicted on civilians during the troubles. It is right to acknowledge that the implementation of truly holistic legacy mechanisms, which can provide families across the UK and Ireland with as much information as possible about the circumstances of their particular case, will require the co-operation of both the UK and Irish Governments to facilitate the disclosure of information held by authorities in both jurisdictions. This Government consider the Irish Government to be an essential partner in the process of seeking a way forward on legacy issues that is human rights compliant and can command public confidence across communities. Turning to the Omagh bombing inquiry, last month’s commemorative hearings were a painful reminder of the impact of cowardly terrorist actions on communities and families. Victims do not need hearings, inquiries or commemorative days to know that; they live with it every day. The Secretary of State has received political assurances from the Irish Government on their full co-operation with the UK inquiry. That is important and should be welcomed. The Irish Government are currently working at pace to determine how to facilitate that in practice through a memorandum of understanding. The right hon. Gentleman’s comments in the Chamber today will not have gone unnoticed. The details of those arrangements are ultimately a matter for the inquiry, which rightly is independent of the Government, but I agree with him that they should provide for the greatest possible level of co-operation from Irish authorities. The Government look forward to seeing those details in due course. In the meantime, our focus remains on ensuring that the UK inquiry that has been established can successfully fulfil its terms of reference. I close by remembering all those who have been killed by cowardly terrorist acts. I pay tribute to everyone who is carrying on—not getting over what happened, but getting on and working around the gap of the people they lost, or of their own life that they had before, despite the grief that can engulf them. They are getting up every day when it is not getting easier, remembering people who should be here and are not. They are not giving up on getting answers and justice for their relatives, families and friends. In the memory of all who have died, we will keep taking action against terrorism and for peace and justice. We will remember. Question put and agreed to.

• 11 Mar 2025 · European Remembrance Day for Victims of Terrorism · Hansard source

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  I agree, and I am glad that WAVE and SEFF have been mentioned this evening. NHS services are also vital for specialist trauma counselling, such as the regional trauma network, which I visited with Minister Nesbitt. On the legacy Act, acknowledging and addressing the suffering of victims of violence was an important aim of the Belfast/Good Friday agreement, but I agree that the task remains incomplete. The Government take their responsibility to victims and survivors of the troubles extremely seriously, which is why we have been working with victims, survivors and all interested parties to correct the mistakes of the last Government, and to put in place measures that will provide answers, accountability and acknowledgment for families who have waited too long already. In December, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland laid a draft remedial order to correct several of the human rights deficiencies of the legacy Act, including removing the bitterly opposed conditional immunity scheme, which would have granted immunity from prosecution for those who carried out the most appalling terrorist crimes. The Secretary of State will introduce primary legislation that will reform and strengthen the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery. The right hon. Member for Belfast East referred to the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland. The Government was pleased that the ombudsman recently returned to work following an extended period of absence. It would not be appropriate for me to comment on the legal proceedings, but for families who are waiting to receive the ombudsman’s reports, I understand the concern and frustration with publication delays. Many families have already encountered too much delay in seeking information and accountability. I know that the ombudsman’s office is doing all that it can to publish reports.

• 11 Mar 2025 · European Remembrance Day for Victims of Terrorism · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to respond to this important debate this evening. I congratulate the right hon. Member for Belfast East (Gavin Robinson) on securing it and on speaking so eloquently and powerfully on what is for so many people a painful and difficult subject. As the right hon. Member described, acts of terrorism in the United Kingdom have had a devastating and unimaginable impact on the individuals, families and communities affected. Indeed, that violence has been brought to our very doorstep, and we stand in solemn remembrance of the Members of this House taken from us by acts of terrorism while representing their constituents. Most recently, as the right hon. Member mentioned, they include Jo Cox, brutally murdered in 2016, and Sir David Amess, brutally murdered in 2021. Both died while serving their constituents. I knew them both, as the right hon. Member did, and miss them, and I feel their loss very personally. Those whom we have sadly lost to terrorism are forever remembered, by their families, by their loved ones and by a nation that stands still, and importantly stands together, when these tragedies occur. As the right hon. Member said, acts of terrorism have had a pronounced effect on communities in Northern Ireland, where over 3,000 people were killed by terrorists during the course of the troubles. Behind every individual murder are the countless family members and others whose lives are changed forever by unthinkable loss in heartbreaking circumstances. I have listened to many of those harrowing stories personally. Recent research reminds us that as many as 30% of people in Northern Ireland have conflict-related trauma, and that this can be passed down the generations, too, and we must never forget that. Thankfully, today Northern Ireland is a place of relative peace and stability. However, the threat from terrorism remains, with the current threat to Northern Ireland from Northern Ireland-related terrorism assessed as substantial. I wish to pay tribute to the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the security services that continue to work tirelessly to keep us safe. I had the privilege of attending the Police Federation for Northern Ireland awards last week in Belfast to celebrate and honour the bravery of some of the exceptional officers who put their lives on the line for us every day. In Northern Ireland, many groups mark a day of reflection on 21 June to acknowledge the pain and suffering caused by the troubles and reflect on what more we can do. Sadly, memorials, remembrance and commemoration can be challenging and even divisive. That is why this Government, in seeking to address the legacy of the troubles, are committed to bringing forward a memorialisation strategy to support inclusive structures and initiatives to help all in Northern Ireland, including future generations, to reflect on those lost. And we will continue to work to support those civil society groups that are working tirelessly to promote reconciliation. The right hon. Member mentioned SEFF and the WAVE Trauma Centre, which came to Westminster. Many are the subject of portraits in the “Silent Testimony” exhibition by Colin Davidson, which is in the National Portrait Gallery. I recommend Members pay a visit there.

• 26 Feb 2025 · Movement of Horticultural Goods · Hansard source

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  I can provide more updates. The banned plants are being worked through species-by-species. There were 11 in 2023 and 10 in 2024, and we are working through each one of those. The working group is taking each of those on a case-by-case basis and working through each issue as it arises.

• 26 Feb 2025 · Movement of Horticultural Goods · Hansard source

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  Officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are following up specifically with the companies that are most affected, such as seed shipping companies. Shipping seeds is allowed, using phytosanitary certificates, but business-to-business posting is currently smoother than business-to-consumer posting. Solutions to this issue are being worked out within the requirements of the Windsor framework, and guidance should be updated shortly.

• 26 Feb 2025 · Movement of Horticultural Goods · Hansard source

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  I agree that the Windsor framework is a big improvement on the protocol. We are committed to implementing it at the same time as seeking to negotiate an SPS agreement that would provide further improvements in the movement of agrifood products, and we must pave the way to that by resetting our relationship with the EU and implementing the Windsor framework in good faith.

• 26 Feb 2025 · Movement of Horticultural Goods · Hansard source

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  The Secretary of State has met suppliers, and my officials meet regularly with horticultural industry representatives. The next meeting of the horticultural working group is in two days’ time, and the Government are committed to addressing the outstanding issues on horticultural products to ensure that these can move safely within the UK.

• 26 Feb 2025 · Movement of Horticultural Goods · Hansard source

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  We are working to narrow the range of products that involve a problem, but we are working in respect of each of them as well. The matter is being given consideration in the knowledge that, as the hon. Member has pointed out, the deadline is approaching.

• 21 Jan 2025 · Northern Ireland’s Political Institutions · Hansard source

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  I welcome the hon. Member’s intervention. There was stability for 10 years when power sharing was enabled, and that is at the heart of what must be enabled by the institutions there. Unless there is a real change shown in various different ways, we need to ensure that those institutions maintain that power sharing. That is what has worked to give us peace up to now, but the stability has been in question. That is why it is good to have these debates, as we are today.

• 21 Jan 2025 · Northern Ireland’s Political Institutions · Hansard source

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  No; I will make some progress. One of the most important contributions that we, as the UK Government, can make is to provide that long-term certainty and stability to Northern Ireland after the tumult of recent years. It is the focus of the UK Government and, I am sure, of all the Members here present. We do not want Stormont to fall into a pattern of collapse, as we have seen previously. I know that the hon. Member for Lagan Valley feels strongly about the political evolution of those institutions, as do many in Northern Ireland. I remain committed to listening to those conversations going forward and to listening to all the views of MPs and Members of the Legislative Assembly, but the priority must be to support the Executive to deliver on those most pressing public service issues—health, jobs, the cost of living and education. The third measure of effectiveness is delivery. Although the strand 1 institutions have been a significant success, more remains to be done to ensure that Northern Ireland is the thriving, successful place we know it can be. Northern Ireland has much to be proud of, benefiting from increasing economic prosperity and investment since 1998, both from the UK Government and the private sector. Northern Ireland has thriving tourism, film, TV production and cyber-security sectors, which are a leading dimension of Northern Ireland’s diverse economy. However, from my conversations with many people in Northern Ireland, I know that palpable frustration remains at the state of the public services, as the hon. Member for Lagan Valley outlined. I am very aware that receiving medical treatment in a corridor or waiting more than 12 hours in one of the hospitals across Northern Ireland has become normal, that some children with special educational needs wait for more than a year for the educational support they are entitled to, that social housing waiting lists are increasing, and that court delays remain a challenge, with a significant difference between court delays in the rest of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. I do not highlight these examples to be critical, and I know from my many conversations with Northern Ireland Ministers that they are fully aware of these challenges and serious about addressing them. Improving public services is, rightly, the responsibility of the Executive, so the key question is whether the institutions, in their current form, can deliver on public services. The answer is yes, they can. The Executive now have the political will and stability, as well as a record funding settlement of £18 billion for Northern Ireland in 2025-26, which is an increase of £1.5 billion. Funding for the Northern Ireland Executive in the autumn Budget exceeds 124% of comparable UK Government funding per person in the rest of the UK, and the Executive have all the levers they need to tackle these challenges. The UK Government are focused on delivering our five missions across the UK, are a willing partner with the Executive in this and want to help the Executive to seize this opportunity. We are committed to working collaboratively and ensuring that Northern Ireland’s institutions can work effectively to deliver for the people of Northern Ireland.

• 21 Jan 2025 · Northern Ireland’s Political Institutions · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Gentleman for his contribution and for his shared commitment to finding a way forward. I think that is what everyone in Northern Ireland wants to see. It is the Windsor framework that enables the UK internal market to be protected post Brexit, and it has established powerful democratic safeguards for the Northern Ireland Assembly. They are what should be used to enable the institutions to function effectively for the people of Northern Ireland. That is what I am going to outline in my speech. However, what do we mean by effectiveness?

• 21 Jan 2025 · Northern Ireland’s Political Institutions · Hansard source

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  We have debated at length the pros and cons of the Windsor framework, and I know we have different opinions on it. The Windsor framework enables the internal market to work and the smooth flow of goods, at the same time as allowing democratic institutions—the Assembly—to have their say and to have those democratic safeguards, as has been demonstrated recently. We need to establish what we mean by the effectiveness of the political institutions. In Northern Ireland, the key measure of effectiveness in the institutions is peace. The Good Friday agreement remains an unparalleled achievement for Northern Ireland. Almost 27 years on from its signing, it has brought an end to armed conflict in Northern Ireland, and it has enabled a generation to grow up in relative peace, increasing prosperity and allowing the people of Northern Ireland to take steps towards reconciliation. The journey to the signing of that agreement required incredible political courage and imagination from the Northern Ireland parties. They were required to set aside their deeply felt differences and commit to working together in a new suite of institutions in the hope of a better tomorrow. As we stand here in 2025, I recognise that the same commitment to collaboration, and to helping Northern Ireland achieve its full potential, is among the parties, is witnessed here today, and remains strongly in the Northern Ireland public. I am delighted that the strand 1 institutions that the hon. Member for Lagan Valley focused on, the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive, are fully operational again, having been restored nearly a year ago, in February 2024. I am extremely grateful that in full operation, they are doing what they were established to do: enabling power to be shared between communities in Northern Ireland. It is through devolved government that decisions can be taken locally on the issues that matter most to the people of Northern Ireland.

• 21 Jan 2025 · Northern Ireland’s Political Institutions · Hansard source

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  I am glad the hon. Gentleman has raised that issue. There is a £235 million part of the restoration package focused on transformation, and it is transformation that can demonstrate the effectiveness of the institutions. This is a demonstration of the UK Government’s willingness to work together in partnership for genuine transformation. I know that these projects will be agreed by the Finance Minister shortly, and I agree that this needs to be done quickly. As the hon. Gentleman knows, transformation takes time. There needs to be collaboration, willingness and political will, and we have that with the Executive right now. In conclusion, Northern Ireland’s political institutions, arising from the Good Friday agreement, have been extremely effective in embedding and upholding peace. They have enabled locally accountable decision making and brought increasing prosperity to Northern Ireland since the signing of the agreement in 1998. The hon. Member for Lagan Valley has outlined the challenges and frustrations felt by many in Northern Ireland, and we are politicians in challenging times. The focus of Government policy in Northern Ireland remains the securing of a brighter future for generations to come. The UK Government remain committed to working with the Executive—in a spirit of collaboration and partnership that was not seen with the previous Government—to support the transformation of public services and ensure the institutions’ long-term effectiveness to deliver on those issues that every Member in Westminster Hall today will agree matter most to people in northern Ireland—economic growth, the cost of living, safety, jobs, education and health. I thank the hon. Member for Lagan Valley for her contribution to this debate; an ongoing debate needs to happen all the time on the reform of Northern Ireland’s institutions. Question put and agreed to .