Speeches by Smith.

“I take from both of your answers, Minister and Neil, that the Executive will submit an argument to the UK Government that the level of need should be different from 124%. I hear the point about multi-year funding, and it seems to me that the Government’s plan to move forward, across their fiscal approach, is multi-year…”

“If I may, Minister, I will just come in on that question. Sorry, Neil. I am mindful of time and there is one question that I really want to ask. It links to the last point that you just made there, Dr Archibald. I know this is a big question, so try to give a brief answer if you can, but I am aware of what I am asking.…”

“Good morning and thank you, Minister, Neil and Joanne, for joining us and for your answers so far. There has been a lot of talk of the level of need in Northern Ireland and the 124%. There seems to be common agreement that the level of need in Northern Ireland per head is higher, compared to the average in England. How…”

“If I may, Minister, I will just come in on that question. Sorry, Neil. I am mindful of time and there is one question that I really want to ask. It links to the last point that you just made there, Dr Archibald. I know this is a big question, so try to give a brief answer if you can, but I am aware of what I am asking.…”

“I take from both of your answers, Minister and Neil, that the Executive will submit an argument to the UK Government that the level of need should be different from 124%. I hear the point about multi-year funding, and it seems to me that the Government’s plan to move forward, across their fiscal approach, is multi-year…”

“Good morning and thank you, Minister, Neil and Joanne, for joining us and for your answers so far. There has been a lot of talk of the level of need in Northern Ireland and the 124%. There seems to be common agreement that the level of need in Northern Ireland per head is higher, compared to the average in England. How…”

“I am so pleased that my hon. Friend made that intervention. I declare an interest because, before I became a Member, I was chief executive of a homelessness charity, and I was delighted to work with Recovery Connections, which is a great organisation doing great work. We have talked about mental health challenges in ru…”

“Yes, sadly my constituency absolutely has those same challenges with mental ill health in the farming community but also in the rural community, which often comes about from isolation. People living generation after generation in rural communities are proud and resourceful. Sometimes they perhaps do not reach out for h…”

“I thank my hon. Friend. However, I hope a few points have become clear from my remarks.”

“I do agree with the right hon. Gentleman. It may be utopian to imagine the family doctor doing home visits, but we should always aim for the ideal. As I have said, there are particular challenges in attracting and retaining GPs in rural areas. The last point I want to make is about digital connectivity. Any discussion …”

“Yes, we need to do everything in our power to encourage healthcare professionals, including GPs, to move into rural areas, where they can have a fantastic quality of life. I think there is a role for ICBs. I am pleased to see that, in my part of the world, 25% of GP surgeries in the Northumbria healthcare NHS foundatio…”

“Yes, I wholeheartedly associate myself with the comments of my hon. Friend and constituency neighbour. Last Friday, I was in the village of Chatton, which is near the border between our two constituencies, to speak to a group focused on autism and special educational needs. There was palpable frustration in that room a…”

“I do not know whether I should declare an interest as a Scotsman who is the Member of Parliament for an English constituency—and proud to be so. I have seen that with my own eyes, and I agree that the record settlement that the UK Government have given the SNP Government in Edinburgh should be used well to provide for …”

“People would expect me as a Member of Parliament for a rural area to say it is absolutely essential that we consider the peculiar circumstances, geography, logistics, the long-term challenges and the rural deprivation, which really does exist, when considering grants to local authorities in rural areas. I will move on …”

“Absolutely. I welcome the fact that the Minister for Local Government and English Devolution, my hon. Friend the Member for Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton (Jim McMahon), is looking at the formula for how grants are made to local authorities in rural areas. Fundamentally, there should not be a penalty to living in t…”

“I could not agree more. I will come on to talk about bus services, but the situation is especially challenging in counties such as Northumberland. I certainly find that there are students in my constituency who struggle to get to school. Getting around areas such as North Northumberland without a car is extremely diffi…”

“Colleagues across the House will be delighted to know that, as we have rattled through the business today, we get to have a four-hour debate, so I welcome interventions, and will welcome anybody else making a speech. It is genuinely a delight to lead my first Adjournment debate, especially one focusing on access to pub…”

“I am sorry; I am almost finished. This could seem like a tangential point to make on a money resolution, but, to summarise this and my other points, I fear the consequences of the relationship between money—this resolution in particular—and assisted dying. Although I will not be voting against this resolution, because …”

“I do not have time. That opens up the dark possibility of a race to the bottom—to looking for savings in the health and social care budget. Any Government would be tempted, where cost saving is a possibility, to push assisted dying as a cost-saving measure; we have seen that in jurisdictions such as Canada. Finally, le…”

“I would like to raise a couple of practical and principled concerns about the finances around assisted dying. First, on the practical, I welcome the comment from my hon. Friend the Minister that there will be an impact assessment in due course. However, until we see it, we have no idea what the measure will cost. We ar…”