Speeches by Robinson.

“Through you, Madam Deputy Speaker, may I thank Mr Speaker for selecting this Adjournment debate? Today is 11 March, and on every 11 March since the dreadful bombings in Madrid in 2004, it has been the European Remembrance Day for Victims of Terrorism. This occasion gives us the opportunity to reflect on terror and the …”

“I appreciate the intervention because there is a task on the part of the Government, with the legislation they are considering at the moment, on storytelling, reconciliation and the narrative that people wish to share. Their truth must be told and their truth known.”

“I am very grateful for the intervention from the hon. Lady. I think she is right that we cannot squander the opportunity, but for too long now I have heard voices within the Government say that the one thing the parties of Northern Ireland can agree on is their opposition to the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Re…”

“It was interesting to hear the reflections of some who said, “Why do I need to reconcile? I’ve been blown up. I’ve been shot. I’ve lost my father, my mother, my sister, my brother. Why is the onus on me to reconcile? I should be honoured for the sacrifice that I’ve made or been forced to go through, but where is somebo…”

“I am very grateful to the hon. and learned Member. I have two things to say to him on that. First, I am glad he organised—for 13 years, I think—an event at Stormont to mark European Remembrance Day for Victims of Terrorism. Such an event also occurred yesterday, so his legacy lives on, and I was pleased to attend it, a…”

“The right hon. Gentleman knows that I have high regard for him. We explored these issues at great length when he chaired the Defence Committee and I was but a lowly member of it. The truth is that there are hundreds if not thousands of individuals in Northern Ireland who have been prosecuted already. How often do we se…”

“My hon. Friend is absolutely right. At a summit last week, not one word on these issues emerged, save the Irish Government saying they are not yet quite ready to withdraw their challenge against the British Government for the legacy Act. They ruled against an amnesty being provided, just as we did, but they decided to …”

“Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker—I took that intervention because it was a powerful point, and I am grateful for your latitude. I am delighted that the Minister is here this evening. I hope that she responds positively. I hope that she recognises the pain and the anguish, as she herself has met individuals in Northern I…”

“The Minister will know that the increase in prisoner numbers is often because of the logjam within the Crown court system, and there are too many on remand who are then convicted and released with time served, with no opportunity for rehabilitation or mentoring. Will he confirm that that forms part of the sentencing re…”

“In welcoming the statement, I reserve judgment on whether we need an additional court—an intermediate court—particularly if it will be resourced from the existing magistrates and Crown court system. Following on from the question from the right hon. Member for Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge (Sir Gavin Williamson), w…”

“On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I do not believe that the Secretary of State would have intended to mislead the House, but I suspect that he may have misunderstood the point being made, and it has filtered into a number of his subsequent responses. In relation to the coroner and his powers, the point being made was th…”

“The Secretary of State asked rhetorically whether the law around inquests needs to change. The coroner had to answer four questions: where, when, who and how. He had no role in trying to answer why, but we know why: four depraved terrorists for the IRA and their warped ideology tried to destroy society and kill in our …”

“The Secretary of State will have heard the exchanges earlier about the grave injustice and slur that was delivered upon SAS personnel in the coroner’s judgment last week, following the incidents in Clonoe. Will the Secretary of State take this opportunity to indicate not only to the House but to service personnel and t…”

“The Home Secretary may recall that, when she was on the Opposition Benches, I cautioned the then Conservative Government that the actions they were going to take to have a uniform immigration policy throughout the United Kingdom were unsustainable. More particularly, I warned during proceedings on the Illegal Migration…”

“We agreed to publish a letter this morning from the Chief Constable on this issue, and he talks about the number of applications for data that were made during the period between 2011 and 2024. Of that, he indicates that 0.5% were toward journalists. That is 0.5%. Mr Birney, can I ask you what your view is on the respo…”

“That is extraordinary—I had not realised that that was all provided by your employer. Malachi, I know that the focus has been around female journalists particularly, but you have been a journalist, a writer and a commentator for many years. You have similarly experienced physical abuse and intimidation; I have heard yo…”

“Good morning, gentlemen. Séamus, do you mind if I come to you first? I want to ask a question drawing on the comments of your general secretary immediately after, when she indicated that the IPT process could not be the end and that there remained questions that were unanswered. Could you give us a sense of, from her p…”

“Just to put that into context, you are talking about somebody for whom there was probably no one more senior in the IRA at the time.”

“I will close this section off so that we can move on to the legal aspects—some of the legal curtailment or at least the legal protections for us all. Can I ask whether either of you have recommendations or suggestions for measures that the Northern Ireland Executive or this Government in Westminster need to take to pro…”

“Just to assure you that if you defame me, I will phone you before I get somebody to write to you.”