Robin Swann MP: speeches

Speeches

• 27 Jan 2026 · Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill · Hansard source

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  I welcome the Secretary of State’s approach to the Bill, and how he has worked across all devolved Administrations. May I seek his assurance that medical students who reside in Northern Ireland, who identify as Irish and who study in an Irish institution in the Republic of Ireland will not be excluded from coming back to work in the national health service in Northern Ireland, where we very much need all the talent we can get?

• 27 Jan 2026 · Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill · Hansard source

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  As I said earlier, I will be supporting the Bill. I thank the Secretary of State and the Minister for their engagement with the devolved institutions on the Bill’s intentions, and on expediting its progress. Its implications for Northern Ireland, and for the medical workforce spanning the islands, are crucial. As has been discussed, the Bill introduces a UK-wide duty on providers of medical training to prioritise applicants who have graduated from medical schools in the UK or the Republic of Ireland. While health is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland, I entirely recognise that this legislation is essential to preserving a joined-up and UK-wide approach to medical training and recruitment. For too long, we have seen increasing pressures on training pathways, with locally trained graduates facing uncertainties and bottlenecks when moving from undergraduate education into foundation and specialty training. I hope very much that the Bill will ensure that those who trained in UK and Republic of Ireland systems have a clear and reliable route into employment in those same systems. I welcome clause 4, which refers to the terms “UK medical graduate” and “the priority group”, but am concerned about the drafting of amendment 9, which was tabled by members of His Majesty’s official Opposition. If Northern Ireland were excluded from these arrangements in any way, by default, it would face an invidious choice between accepting increased competition for limited training places and withdrawing from national recruitment altogether. The latter would place a significant administrative and financial burden on local bodies, particularly the Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency, and could risk undermining long-established recruitment structures. I welcome the fact that the Bill does not impose additional costs on health services in Northern Ireland, given that the system is under unprecedented financial strain. Instead, it simply changes the order in which applications are considered for existing programmes, and by doing so, it helps to protect the investment made in medical education. However, I seek an assurance from the Minister in connection with a graduate-entry medical school that was created at Magee College back in 2021. The first cohort of graduates came through in June 2025—69 second-degree doctors and surgeons. I hope that nothing in the Bill will hinder their progression into the workforce. I am sure that the Minister has engaged with the Northern Ireland Health Minister on ensuring that there are no impediments to that progression. Ultimately, the Bill supports locally trained doctors and maintains the integrity of national recruitment systems. I therefore fully support it, along with its extension to Northern Ireland through the legislative consent motion process. I genuinely wish the Minister well, and commend her on the constructive approach taken to recognising Northern Ireland’s devolved competences while ensuring alignment across the entirety of the United Kingdom. However, I will support the Opposition amendment regarding the timing. In my view, this legislation is not just the right thing to do. It is the timely thing to do in order to tackle the issue of workforce recruitment, and it should not be used in any negotiations with the British Medical Association to resolve another issue out there. I seek an assurance from the Secretary of State, as other speakers have done, that the Bill will be introduced in the right manner, because it is the right thing to do.

• 26 Jan 2026 · Armed Forces Bill · Hansard source

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• 26 Jan 2026 · Armed Forces Bill · Hansard source

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  The Secretary of State talks about a patchwork quilt and a postcode lottery. Operation Restore supports military veterans with their physical and mental health, but Northern Ireland-resident veterans do not have the same access in devolved institutions—the likes of the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt orthopaedic hospital. Will the legislation enable Northern Ireland-resident veterans to access the services that are accessible to English veterans?

• 26 Jan 2026 · Police Reform White Paper · Hansard source

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  The Police Service of Northern Ireland is currently excluded from the counter-terrorism policing grant of about £1 billion a year, which is accessible to GB forces. Now that counter-terrorism is being looked after by the National Police Service, will the Police Service of Northern Ireland be able to access some of that funding?

• 21 Jan 2026 · Northern Ireland Troubles: Legacy and Reconciliation · Hansard source

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  Can I ask the House to pay tribute to and acknowledge the contribution of my hon. Friend the Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon)? [Hon. Members: “Hear, hear.”] That emotion, that story and that heartfelt contribution to today’s debate are replicated across many houses across Northern Ireland, and indeed across this United Kingdom, in regard to those who have lost loved ones, both at the hands of terrorism and in other circumstances in Northern Ireland. That emotion is also felt by our veterans. It is only when I came into this place that I realised, as a Northern Ireland politician, that when we speak of a Northern Ireland veteran, we speak of the RUC, the UDR, the home regiments and those who served, as well as the family and relatives of my hon. Friend the Member for Strangford and all those who contributed, including all those who went home at night not knowing if their colleague walking beside them was actually the individual who was passing information to the person who was planning their murder. But when I came here, I realised that the conversation is also about the Northern Ireland veterans from England, Scotland and Wales who came to Northern Ireland to serve and to defend and protect what we believed was a democratic system in regard to our rights and our beliefs. Let us remember that context in regard to that emotion and that service, and then look at what is being brought forward to this House and what is being asked of Members of this House and of members of the Government. I have respect for many of them, but throughout this three-hour debate—no harm to the Government—their Benches were empty. When the bells ring, Government Members will come and do what they have been bid to do. That is in complete contrast with Monday evening. The question has been raised: why are we rushing this remedial order while there is no troubles Bill to replace it? Why the rush? On Monday evening, the Under-Secretary of State for Justice, the hon. Member for Pontypridd (Alex Davies-Jones), said on the Public Office (Accountability) Bill that “we must think about all the possible scenarios and unintended consequences”. —[ Official Report , 19 January 2026; Vol. 779, c. 103.] It is right to acknowledge that that is not a simple issue. The Government remain resolutely committed to finding a way forward, which is why they took the decision to delay. If it was right for the Government to do that on Monday evening, it is right for this Secretary of State to delay this remedial order until the judge and the courts have had their opportunity to complete their processes in regard to what is right and just, and then this House can have that legal, informed debate on why we should be moving forward. I want to refer to two contributions from Government Members. The hon. Member for Putney (Fleur Anderson), who I have a lot of respect for from when she served in the Northern Ireland Office, referred to how rare it is to use a remedial order, so why use it in haste? Why not take the time to actually reflect on what it is? In regard to those parts of the legislation that are being removed, the hon. Member for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East (Andy McDonald) said that they have actually never taken effect, so why the rush to bring this remedial order?

• 21 Jan 2026 · Northern Ireland Troubles: Legacy and Reconciliation · Hansard source

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  Would the hon. Gentleman consider that there is a political reason for the Northern Ireland Office to bring this measure forward: to placate the Irish Government and their timeline rather than the timeline of this place?

• 21 Jan 2026 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  Q7. Challenging economic inactivity and supporting the vulnerable across the country is something that we all want, so would the Prime Minister be surprised to learn that, in Northern Ireland, around 11,000 people previously supported by UK shared prosperity funding will see those programmes cut dramatically, compounded by 400 job losses? Does he support the cuts to those vital programmes, and will he arrange an urgent meeting for me, and the organisations that have been impacted, with the relevant decision maker in Government so that these changes and challenges can be resolved?

• 14 Jan 2026 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  At question time last week, the Prime Minister seemed to intimate that the Government were bringing forward amendments to the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill. Within hours of him saying that, the Irish Government’s Minister for Foreign Affairs said that any “significant changes” must have the “full agreement of both Governments”. Is the Prime Minister intending to bring forward amendments to the flawed Northern Ireland Troubles Bill? Will he give me a reassurance that the Irish Government do not have a veto over legislation in this House?

• 13 Jan 2026 · Northern Ireland Political Institutions: Reform · Hansard source

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  I heard the Prime Minister refer to the work of the Assembly and Executive Review Committee in the Chamber last week. Does the Minister realise that that has met only 12 times since 2024? It is not a Committee that is doing a lot of work or delivering a lot.

• 13 Jan 2026 · Northern Ireland Political Institutions: Reform · Hansard source

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  The Minister knows that I have challenged the Secretary of State about the transformation fund that was set up when the Executive came back two years ago. Does he agree that it is lamentable that that money is still not completely spent and not completely allocated? A committee has been formed to assess the best projects, rather than actually getting on with supporting the Ministers who want to make transformation a real thing.

• 13 Jan 2026 · Northern Ireland Political Institutions: Reform · Hansard source

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  Does the hon. Lady acknowledge that much of the work that was achieved in the Belfast agreement was undermined in St Andrews in 2007, when there was a change to how the First and Deputy First Ministers were elected? Rather than being a co-post, it became a divided office.

• 12 Jan 2026 · New Medium Helicopter Contract · Hansard source

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  On 26 March last year, three RAF Pumas performed a final fly-past of Aldergrove in my constituency. What urgency is there to fill that capacity gap of medium-lift helicopters and to secure a full utilisation of what used to be Joint Helicopter Command Aldergrove?

• 12 Jan 2026 · Finance (No. 2) Bill · Hansard source

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  That is an important point, and one that the Minister needs to clarify. The Government’s online advice actually says that it is not simply a married couple or those in a civil partnership; it says: “Two people (such as siblings) who jointly own a farm will be able to pass on a farm up to £5.65 million tax free.” The Government have to provide clarity on that.

• 12 Jan 2026 · Finance (No. 2) Bill · Hansard source

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  I want to take the Minister back to his earlier commitment on Scotland. Will the Government give the same commitment to farmers in Northern Ireland? We have a very different family farm structure from that in the rest of the United Kingdom, and the engagement of and representations by the Ulster Farmers’ Union and the Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster should bring this Government to a realisation that their last proposals did not sit well with farmers across this United Kingdom.

• 7 Jan 2026 · 2025 Budget · Hansard source

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  When the Executive were restored two years ago, a fund was set up for the transformation of public services. As of yet, that money has not been fully allocated. Will the Secretary of State use his offices to encourage the Executive to deploy that transformation fund to transform Northern Ireland’s public services?

• 7 Jan 2026 · Draft Police and Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 (Application To Immigration Officers and Designated Customs Officials In Northern Ireland) and Consequential Amendments Regulations 2026 · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Mundell. I have two questions for the Minister about the regulations. He touched briefly on the interaction with Garda Síochána; I note that enforcement of the regulations will “serve to improve the interoperability of Border Force and Immigration Enforcement with partner law enforcement agencies”. Given that Northern Ireland is the only part of this United Kingdom that has a land border with an EU member state, that interaction with the Garda Síochána and equivalent organisations will be crucial to implementing the regulations appropriately. The other question is maybe minor, but I seek clarity from the Minister on the additional powers being given to customs officials under the regulations, and on the additional customs implications for small and medium enterprises in Northern Ireland due to the Windsor framework. Can he reassure me that the use of those additional powers will not have an adverse effect on parcels and packages coming from GB into Northern Ireland, and that the regulations will not become an impairment to keeping the border between GB and Northern Ireland free for the movement of goods and parcels?

• 5 Jan 2026 · Northern Ireland Troubles Bill: Armed Forces Recruitment and Retention · Hansard source

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  I welcome the steps taken by Ministers in their support for our armed forces, but may I caution them that the Northern Ireland Office’s troubles Bill has the potential to undo all that? The protections for veterans in the Bill are not specifically for veterans, no matter how they are packaged—and how weak it sounds to tell a Northern Ireland veteran who lives in Northern Ireland and served in Northern Ireland that he will not have to go to Northern Ireland to give evidence. The Minister has often cited the fact that no Northern Ireland party supported the last Government’s legislation. Can he tell me what Northern Ireland party currently supports the Bill as it is drafted, and if he cannot do so, will he pause and reflect?

• 5 Jan 2026 · Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief · Hansard source

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  The Ulster Farmers’ Union and the Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster made many representations here with regard to the damage that this policy would do to Northern Ireland farms, but there is one specific point I want to ask the Minister about. He has mentioned a number of times the allowance being passed between couples and civil partnerships. Example 2, in his own Government paper, states: “Two people (such as siblings) who jointly own a farm will be able to pass on a farm up to £5.65 million” under the allowance. If there is a father and daughter, uncle, aunt, niece and nephew in that partnership, can they pass on that allowance, too—seeing as he is the tax Minister?

• 17 Dec 2025 · Supply Chain Resilience · Hansard source

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  4. What discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on providing additional funding for the ReImagining Supply Chains Network Plus programme.

• 17 Dec 2025 · Supply Chain Resilience · Hansard source

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  The Minister mentioned our investment event held last week, where I and the right hon. Member for Belfast East (Gavin Robinson) hosted Antrim and Newtownabbey borough council for its first Westminster economic investment showcase. How do the Government expect that UK Research and Innovation-funded supply chain research will align with city deal investments, such as the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre—AMIC—in my constituency?

• 17 Dec 2025 · Northern Ireland Troubles: Legacy and Reconciliation · Hansard source

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  Regarding the accusation that the Secretary of State is rushing this through, he will be conscious of an Irish Government who are not rushing anything through with regard to support. Yesterday the Justice Minister in the Republic of Ireland received permission from the Government to draft priority legislation to enable state bodies to give oral evidence to the Omagh inquiry. That was only because the Omagh families are taking legal action. What engagement has the Secretary of State had with the Irish Government about bringing forward legislation that matches what he is bringing forward in this place? Can I also ask him who he is dealing with at the minute? It used to be the Tánaiste, Simon Harris, who has now been promoted. Is it the Justice Minister, who is bringing this forward, or is it the new Foreign Affairs Minister?

• 16 Dec 2025 · Grassroots Cricket Clubs · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Turner. I congratulate the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Andrew Lewin) on securing the debate. I do not want to start with something controversial, but I will. The hon. Member said that cricket is “quintessentially English,” and I think the hon. Member for Leicester South (Shockat Adam) was surprised, too, to see me and the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon)—two Northern Ireland MPs—in the Chamber to take part in a debate about the values of cricket. To start with, I do not think that the hon. Member for Leicester South should be surprised at the fact that the hon. Member for Strangford is here, because I do not think there is a debate in this place that he does not attend—he is always at the scene. But cricket has deep, embedded roots and love in our villages and small towns in Northern Ireland, and indeed across the island of Ireland. The owners of the old flax and spinning mills created their own cricket teams around the mills, and many of those teams are still in existence today. That is why I want to take the opportunity to talk specifically about two cricket clubs in my constituency. The first, Muckamore cricket club—or, to give it its full title, Muckamore cricket and lawn tennis club—was established in 1874 and just celebrated its 150th anniversary. It is still going strong, with its own grounds and a number of teams across all ages. Over the years, it has grown to become one of the premier clubs within the Northern Cricket Union, culminating in its second Challenge cup victory on its 150th anniversary last year. The club includes all ages and abilities. Its older members still come together to form a walking group that walks around the town of Antrim to keep up social interaction. They still take that opportunity to call into my constituency office to tell me what I should and could be doing and give me their opinions on everything. That shows the strength of the connection through the cricket club that has been built up through the years and generations. The hon. Member for Leicester South talked about the number of tennis courts that have been lost. The lawn tennis club has taken the next step and developed a partnership with a group to build padel courts that can be used in all seasons. That shows its commitment to a healthy lifestyle and keeping people fit and active. The second club is Templepatrick cricket club, which plays out of the Cloughan in Ballyclare. If anybody knows Northern Ireland, there is a slight confusion because it is named after a different town from the one it plays in. That club formed more recently, in cricket terms—in 1969. Cricket in Northern Ireland is a cross-community sport. It is often not recognised for the work it does in that regard. Templepatrick was recently shortlisted for Cricket Ireland club of the year and has one of the biggest youth systems across the island of Ireland. The club capped a successful 2024 campaign by winning section 1 and securing promotion to the top flight. This debate is about Government support, which is obviously an issue. The hon. Member for Strangford mentioned the support that exists in the devolved nations, but unfortunately, a number of different clubs and sporting codes in my constituency have been raising with me since I was first elected the issue of support from local government and from Antrim and Newtownabbey council. That is why I conducted a survey earlier this year of all the sporting clubs across the constituency and of teams across different codes, which engendered a significant response. On the back of that, I produced a sports development report for the constituency with the intent of informing a plan to improve provision, boost investment and deliver support for local teams and clubs. Given the subject of the debate, I want to concentrate on the issues raised by Muckamore and Templepatrick cricket clubs. Those issues have already been mentioned, but they are not unique to England. They include an appeal for indoor areas and nets at council leisure facilities, which could benefit continual practice all year round, especially in cold and adverse weather. The hon. Member for Strangford mentioned Government grants. Although both clubs said that grants were important to maintain safety standards and good facilities, they found that the new process in Northern Ireland of match funding grants can often be restrictive for some clubs. It means going back to the same people time and again to get match funding, whereas previously core grants were made for a specific issue. The last issue that both clubs mentioned, which was also mentioned by the hon. Members for Surrey Heath (Dr Pinkerton) and for Leicester South, is the benefit of increasing and upgrading existing facilities to bring about an increase in the number of women and girls taking part in the sport. There is a wide interest in that. The biggest obstacle for both clubs is setting up changing facilities to make their facilities more accessible. I commend the other Members who have spoken about the benefits of cricket, both physical and from a mental health point of view. I know that the Minister will respond on the subject of the debate, but I seek assurance that she works with her devolved counterparts to make sure that the benefits of sport, and especially cricket, are fully recognised.

• 15 Dec 2025 · NHS: Winter Preparedness · Hansard source

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  I commend the Secretary of State for his action to try to prevent industrial action. Nye Bevan had his own challenges with the BMA. The covid inquiry made a number of recommendations with regard to co-ordination and preparedness across all four nations. What interaction has the Secretary of State had with the devolved nations in respect of this wave of flu, RSV and access to vaccinations?

• 15 Dec 2025 · Violence against Women and Girls Strategy · Hansard source

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  Violence against women and girls is a current issue, but it is also an historical issue. On the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill, sexual crime is not listed as one of those that can be looked at under the current commission, on which I have tabled an amendment. Will the Minister commit to working with me and the Northern Ireland Office to include sexual crime in the Bill?