Speeches by Hanna.

“You are talking about things that happened, but you have not answered the question. How would equalising the titles or the Assembly returning injure any one community? It is a very straightforward question.”

“Sounds it. I can feel the warmth.”

“I know that we are not in normal politics, and Stormont is not a normal Parliament, but people will say that we disagree across this House all the time on issues. I do not know whether you tried any alternative amendments or tried to express your views and your party’s views in the form of an amendment, but do you unde…”

“Do you see the risk, if everything is on the table, if every party puts in all its hopes and dreams for political efficiency, that that could run a little bit longer than next May?”

“Matthew O’Toole spoke about potential sequencing. He talked about not boiling the ocean, in effect, but getting to some short, sharp reforms to give confidence that the institutions will return after May, before moving on. Would you support that logic, and what do you think should be prioritised?”

“Eóin, you said in response to Robin that the last election was seismic, and it rightly was. Your party doubled its seats. What were its priorities going into the Programme for Government negotiations, and was reform among them?”

“Jon, this week you signed a petition of concern on the age of criminal responsibility. You and others are absolutely entitled to your opinion on that matter, but do you understand that such petitions feed the sense of opposition being expressed only ever as veto? Will you talk about how that interacts with your views o…”

“Your headline proposal is, if an eligible party refuses to nominate for First or Deputy First Minister, to move to the next largest party. I think we share an aspiration to get beyond designation and its salience in the institutions. Would that be to the next largest party in general, and what protections do you envisa…”

“On that point, I know the SDLP hosted a roundtable with civil society organisations, being clear that most of the asks they would bring to parties for their manifestos would likely not be delivered because of Stormont failures. We are ready for a process convened by the Governments, but if that does not happen, would y…”

“You referenced the Assembly and Executive Review Committee. Do you think that is a serious piece of work? Do you think all those around the table are seriously interested and determined to make progress and have this issue resolved in the lifetime of the current Assembly?”

“Could you outline how equalising the titles could injure any one community? You have not done that, and I would just like you to answer the question that I asked.”

“I suppose that the most high-profile use of a petition, which will resonate most with people, was on the issue of equal marriage for people from the LGBT community. Consensus was demonstrated, but it was not to the taste of the DUP, and it was repeatedly blocked. I think that is how people understand the use of that me…”

“I, too, wish to pay tribute to Jo Cox and her family, and to the commitment in her name that we tackle division and extremism. We saw extremism play out on the streets of Belfast last week—a pogrom where families were burned out based on the colour of their skin; health workers were stopped and asked for ID by masked t…”

“Matthew, you have led the Stormont Opposition for two years. Do you have any observations specifically from that process for the functioning of Stormont?”

“Had your party sought to reach a compromise proposal, for example, through amendment? Can you give examples of where the DUP has not sought to use its veto on an issue it disagrees with? I suppose there is a perception that the DUP will not allow anything to go forward that it does not approve.”

“We don’t support that Reform.”

“Gavin, you said that relationships and willingness were at the core of the dysfunction. How would you characterise those relationships? What do the DUP do to improve relationships and build trust and confidence?”

“Thank you very much, Matthew. The Chair has her beady eyes on me and the clock, so I will leave it there.”

“The Secretary of State has said that the Government are “open to conversations about ideas which can command a consensus” on reform. You have said that the SDLP proposals were initially developed to do exactly that where there is obvious common ground or no detriment to any community. How should discussions take place …”

“The Secretary of State has said that the Government are “open to conversations about ideas which can command a consensus” on reform. You have said that the SDLP proposals were initially developed to do exactly that where there is obvious common ground or no detriment to any community. How should discussions take place …”