Speeches by Hanna.

“Can you describe your engagement to date with businesses and stakeholders, and any misconceptions you have picked up about trading goods and services to Northern Ireland?”

“So yours is two years commencing from the second appointment?”

“How long are their terms and your term?”

“Building on Robin’s question, can you clarify how the board was appointed, whether there was a public appointments process, and how long your term is?”

“I think that many of those supporting the Omagh families would like to see a parallel and comprehensive inquiry. Does the hon. Member agree that the logical thing to do would have been to co-design that, and for both Governments to bring forward inquiries in parallel, rather than his Government acting unilaterally when…”

“That is still the case.”

“The Social Democratic and Labour party welcomes this remedial order, which goes some way to restoring the rule of law to legacy processes and in turn to the present day. The introduction by the previous Government of an amnesty and the closure of processes was the very definition of the phrase, “Justice delayed is just…”

“I think some legislation is coming through here around counter-terrorism and displaying—we have seen over the last couple of months paramilitaries and people being proscribed, and guns being taken off people. But I walk around my neighbourhood and see UDA flags and other paramilitary paraphernalia around, so there are …”

“And grey hair is involved.”

“I share your scepticism about the group transition idea while trying to be constructive about the process, and also your frustration that the police do often police the political failures and the inability to deal with issues. There is a sense of, “Oh my goodness—nothing is working and we cannot get rid of these groups…”

“Sir Hugh, is Patten at 25 an appropriate time for a review?”

“With a view to trying to get things back on track, my party has called for a rule of law review and audit, not just of policing but of systemic issues such as the PPS and prosecution decisions of the police ombudsman. It is a fact that, 17 years after the devolution of policing, the political system has not seen fit to…”

“And are you confident that those powers are always deployed appropriately?”

“I agree entirely. The underfunding and, therefore, the inability of the service to provide the neighbourhood policing that you envisaged and that you both tried to deliver are enormous contributors. People are not engaging with the police in the way that you, the officers, and we as elected representatives would wish. …”

“An independent report in August found that Catholics and people from a Catholic nationalist background are twice as likely to be stopped and searched. Obviously, it suits dissident republicans down to the ground for people to experience police in a militarised way or in a way that they can frame as oppressive. Do you t…”

“Same question to you, Sir Hugh: do you think it is a problem if the police service is not representative? Do you think it is acknowledged across the political spectrum that that is a problem?”

“David laid out the current figures, and I think women and ethnic minorities are under-represented as well. Do you see it as a problem that the Police Service of Northern Ireland is unrepresentative, and do you see it acknowledged in the political system that a police service that does not reflect the make-up of society…”

“I will frame it in a different way, Sir Hugh, to ask you the same question: do you think that a different approach to disclosure and transparency—whether systemic or in policy terms—could contribute to a better recruitment environment?”

“I have not made a specific reference. There are two or three cases that are being looked at.”

“I think that the current Chief Constable is in court fighting the principle: it is not always the technology that is contributing to the suppression. The current Chief Constable has indicated that there are times when he would wish to be more transparent in the publication of material. I do not think that we can say it…”