Speeches by Hanna.

“If the hon. and learned Member wants to talk about constitutional change, perhaps he might set out for the Chamber the numbers and the level of support for the Union before and after he began his Brexit adventures. He will know that I, as a democrat, constitutionally compromise every single day, because I am a democrat…”

“Is it not the hon. and learned Member’s position that Brexit does not require cross-community consent? In the eight elections since Brexit, the people of Northern Ireland have rejected Brexit. However, he says that the protections require cross-community consent. It is a case of consent for thee, but not for me. Will h…”

“I was agreeing with the right hon. Member that the trade rules have nothing to do with the past. I was also hoping to remind him that the hon. and learned Member for North Antrim (Jim Allister), who spoke before him and tried to equate the murderous campaign of the IRA with the protocol, degrades everybody in this Cham…”

“I do not intend to speak long; that will allow others to get in, but it is primarily because we have spoken about this issue morning, noon and night for much of the past eight years and because Northern Ireland in general wants to move on. The hearts of people at home are sinking at the prospect of going back in time, …”

“Of course I was listening. I do listen, and as the hon. and learned Member said, I try to find consensus, but people were forced to listen, because—for whatever reason—large parts of the media have indulged this argument for many years. He knows that he has had an outsized platform in the media. We have listened and tr…”

“I appreciate the Government’s focus on growth, especially green-lighting the city and growth deals, and their transformative impact on our often overlooked economy and infrastructure. The forthcoming Windsor framework review presents an opportunity to look not just at east-west trade, which is important, but at other o…”

“These are very interesting discussions. You may be aware that the Assembly yesterday endorsed an Opposition motion about the scope of that review and endorsed the view that it should not just take in the movement of goods east to west. It is fair to say that, over many years, the focus was largely on those transactions…”

“There is a democratic deficit.”

“I will finish on that and say that the reason that the terms are narrowed on those roles is that the world stopped turning. Our lives stopped turning for many years to focus on the niche concerns. A lot of us, including EU citizens and many others, had to park their concerns. This is a way for this Government to demons…”

“I warmly endorse talking and engagement. We had many years of plenty of it. It just does endorse my view that there is nothing that this body does that could not have been done within the Good Friday agreement toolkit and through the existing bodies. It is difficult for people to understand why we created a new one. Re…”

“Just to close it off, it is important that people know that review is in the Good Friday agreement. We are not stepping outside of those parameters. Review is in the Good Friday agreement. None of the proposals in our predecessor report in any way propose to deviate from the principles of power sharing, partnership and…”

“On the previous issue, I note your commitment, which I know is genuine, on Casement. It is worth saying that it is not just an Executive issue, for two reasons. First, it is in New Decade, New Approach that Casement will be built and, secondly, the previous Government committed to it in explicit terms with or without t…”

“Great, thank you. I will come back to you and go ahead and make that happen. I just want to briefly touch on Assembly reform. You will be aware that our predecessor Committee produced quite a substantial report bringing together academic, political and other feedback on some potential reforms to the agreement, particul…”

“Absolutely, and that reflects the feedback I have received from the people who are trying to increase productivity and modernise. Such arbitrary frameworks do not help. As I have said, the challenges for northern mushroom farms are exacerbated by the differential in investment in similar farming businesses in the south…”

“I thank all hon. Members who have contributed. As the hon. Member for North East Fife (Wendy Chamberlain) said, it is about many things, many people and many places. We all appreciate how complex this area of policy is. I appreciate that there was a lot of detail back and forth, but it is important that we are able to …”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered eligibility for family and work visas. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Pritchard, and to have the opportunity to highlight the impact of some changes introduced earlier this year by the previous Government, and how they are landing with public services…”

“Mary Ward in my constituency became the fourth woman to be murdered in just six weeks in Northern Ireland. It remains one of the most dangerous places in Europe to be a woman, with a femicide rate twice that of Britain. We need to think deeply about the type of society that we have created, and that is manifesting in t…”

“8. What discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on violence against women and girls in Northern Ireland.”

“UN peacekeepers, including 380 Irish soldiers, are currently being intimidated and threatened by the IDF, with armaments pointing directly at Irish troops who have protected innocent Lebanese civilians against Hezbollah and the IDF for decades. The IDF has repeatedly violated international law, including around armed c…”

“City deals are a serious tool for economic growth. That is why the Social Democratic and Labour party initially proposed them, and why we continue to be their champion. They support skills and employability, create decent jobs and, crucially, leverage private and foreign direct investment, driving much-needed regenerat…”