Speeches by Hanna.

“It is in the disclosure MOU.”

“Do you have any anxiety about what that might cover?”

“Last month, along with eight party leaders across Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, I wrote to the Prime Minister about the catastrophic situation in Gaza and the deficits in the UK response to the unbearable suffering we are seeing—biblical levels of injustice, pain and hunger. Does the Foreign Secretary recognise…”

“Thank you very much. This is disturbing, fascinating evidence. These are global issues, but our inquiry is trying to understand specifically the high prevalence of violence against women in Northern Ireland. Based on your research, that appears to be mirrored online, if I am reading that correctly from the data, with w…”

“Emily and Sorcha have both spoken about the targeting of women in public life in particular. Again, that is probably a universal experience, and I know that every woman in politics gets that abuse. My colleague, Cara Hunter, and the DUP MLA, Diane Forsythe, have experienced very specific, false image-based abuse. Is th…”

“That is some of what we are going to try to pull out. Everything, from abuse and intimidation to pornography, has all just intensified the access. Colleagues are going to try to drill into some of those issues and, again, why there is a prevalence in Northern Ireland. I just wanted to come back to something that you sa…”

“The EU-UK deal was warmly and broadly welcomed across Northern Ireland to begin to unpick and undo some of the damage and friction created by Brexit, which was championed by some of those on the Opposition Benches. However, an FSB report out this week highlighted continuing problems, particularly for small businesses. …”

“I will finish here: I have made clear that it would not be my preferred action. We will engage with it as constructively as we can. I am not damning it and walking away from the consequences, but there are actions outlined in the track one and track two strategies that have not been fulfilled before we move to this par…”

“It is worth remembering, of course, that you are retrofitting because the inquiry was announced unilaterally, without that level of internationalisation and engagement with Dublin by the previous Government. I suppose it is backfilling the engagement with Dublin. I am not giving any account of the level of engagement, …”

“I can understand.”

“As I say, I welcome it and I can understand that, for soccer in particular, there are very real concerns, and there was a wider package. Soccer is a sport that is enjoyed across the community, and across the region, and many facilities require upgrade. There is a deal to be done. I am just anxious that there has not be…”

“And not just in Ballymena—in Derry as well. I share your revulsion at that, and I will always stand with the PSNI. I supported their recruitment campaign, and I have engaged directly with officers about that—as you say—thuggery and wanton disorder, and I will take every opportunity I can to support the police, includin…”

“We are coming from the same place here, and I can hear your frustration, and I respect that. I respect the people involved in the IRC and their attempt to address this. I believe—and I have set this out directly to them—that there are numerous actions in track one and track two around a societal approach and a criminal…”

“On that last topic, the allocation is very good news. I warmly welcome it, and have urged the Executive to get moving, and to up their contribution, ideally in line with inflation, because the block grant has increased over the years in which Casement has failed to be built. I was disappointed to see last week, about a…”

“We are really glad you are here to give us those insights. We will pick up on funding issues later.”

“I think we have covered the issue of funding. You are right that it is really good that we have the strategy and that it is across the Executive, but culture eats strategy for breakfast if it is not resourced. Sonya, you have referenced the challenges that Women’s Aid has, even just getting core funding. We know that t…”

“Sonya, is there a sense of the funding allocations attached to the ideas and plans in the Executive strategy? We were at Larne FC and we saw a really good project there, which was similar to what you referenced about getting men involved. We were also in Foyle, where they spoke about councils being given a whack of mon…”

“I think we are trying to understand why this is so much more prevalent in our region than elsewhere across these islands. I know this is a big question, but what part does the legacy of the past play in rates of violence against women and girls?”

“I know we have all seen that map of the island of Ireland, which I shared with the Committee, and we know there is a preponderance of violence in the north in certain counties, but it is across the board, isn’t it? There is no part of Northern Ireland where it is higher or lower. Sonya, can I put that same question to …”

“I do not want to put words in your mouth, but is there an overall high tolerance, or just a prevalence of violence and a macho culture that feeds in to homes and communities?”