Speeches by Smith.

“I will start by declaring an interest, having worked in the voluntary and community sector for the last 23 years, seven of which were in Northern Ireland, albeit in the early 2000s, so way back in the mists of time. I was going to ask about the UK shared prosperity fund, but we have touched on that already, so I will b…”

“I have one final question, if you can try to answer this in a sentence. What is the solution to the funding of the sector? That is to anyone who wants to answer it, including Ann.”

“Absolutely, yes. Celine, how would you answer that question?”

“I will start by declaring an interest, having worked in the voluntary and community sector for the last 23 years, seven of which were in Northern Ireland, albeit in the early 2000s, so way back in the mists of time. I was going to ask about the UK shared prosperity fund, but we have touched on that already, so I will b…”

“I have one final question, if you can try to answer this in a sentence. What is the solution to the funding of the sector? That is to anyone who wants to answer it, including Ann.”

“Absolutely, yes. Celine, how would you answer that question?”

“My first full-time job in the early 2000s was setting up and running a peacemaking programme for young people in Northern Ireland, so I am pleased that the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery was salvaged from the remains of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 20…”

“11. What discussions he has had with stakeholder groups on Northern Ireland's legacy.”

“11. What diplomatic steps his Department is taking to support the rights of religious minorities in Syria.”

“I thank my hon. Friend for welcoming me and for his commitment and that of the Department to work with the nascent Syrian Government as they seek to protect and respect religious minorities. However, I am sure that he is aware that over Christmas there were attacks by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighters on the Christian-majo…”

“I will ask one last question, which is slightly more esoteric. Is there a chance that the Executive is being rewarded by the UK Treasury for what some might describe as fiscal failure?”

“I can tell that you are a former MP. Sir Robert?”

“That was my follow-up question; I actually have that written down. Is there a moral hazard, here?”

“Do you have the same confidence—if I can say that word—for financial year ’25-’26, in terms of a balanced budget for the Executive?”

“I will open this question up to the other panellists as well. Are you confident that the £148 million projected overspend, as we sit here and now, will be balanced by April this year?”

“It is on the record; great to hear it. I guess the question is: is it correct to say that, if the Exec deliver on the income generation target, then the £550 million debt will still be written off, even if there is a significant in-year overspend again this year or next year?”

“Good. It seems like the Exec is on target currently to meet that £113 million income generation. There is possibly about £80 million already secured. Here’s the question—sorry, I have one final point before the question. On the balanced-budget piece, the Finance Minister acknowledged late last year that the Exec was st…”

“Thank you all for your answers so far. I was going to ask a question about the likelihood and impact of the funding cliff edge, but you have talked quite a lot about that. It seems to me that that cliff edge is receding somewhat; feel free to contradict that if you disagree. I would like first to establish that I under…”

“This is an important subject. There seems to be a common denominator in many of the comments: the significance of rural areas. I note that my hon. Friend’s constituency has large rural areas, as does mine. Does he agree that there is a particular challenge—whether with rural B roads or even major national roads or nati…”

“I welcome the landmark £5 billion agriculture budget announced in the Budget, which is the biggest-ever budget for sustainable farming. My farmers in North Northumberland desperately need that money. In that context, what more can the Secretary of State do to push for his Department to get that money out the door in a …”