Speeches by Benn.

“No, I have said that it is a hypothetical question. I am not aware that that is their position currently. I would, with respect, reject the suggestion that the answer that I gave in relation to the memorandum of understanding is in some way shameful, because what information is the Irish Government going to provide? Wh…”

“Well, we will agree to disagree on that.”

“I think we need to let the inquiry do its work and see what it finds and what report is published. One can speculate a great deal about what may or may not be in it. It has started its work. Today has been a very important day, as it has met to hear about the context of the bombing. We should note that. Let it do its w…”

“There are the incompatibilities, clearly, which the courts in Northern Ireland have found. However, I have made it quite clear, including to the House of Commons, that the Government intend to remedy those because of course for the commission to work, it will have to be compliant with article 2 and other articles. It h…”

“I do not accept that. I have a simple policy as the Secretary of State: I am responsible for every decision that I take. I am given advice by a fantastic team of civil servants, who have worked so hard, not just on this case but in all the work in advising me on legacy. They are outstanding civil servants. If anyone wa…”

“In the end, as I have just said to the Committee, we are not going to deal with legacy with a whole series of public inquiries. There is not a menu to be offered: “Would you like one of those, or one of those?” We are doing all this work to try and create a body capable of delivering justice for all, information for al…”

“If and when the Brown case gets to the commission, that will be a job for the commission to undertake. What is unique about the case, and you are absolutely right, is that the coroner decided to produce a gist in open court. We have just had the hearing in the Thompson appeal about gists in the Supreme Court and we awa…”

“I stand to be corrected, but I thought I had replied to Sir Iain Livingstone on the interim recommendations. I will double-check, because I remember seeing a letter. There is one outstanding issue relating to a separate letter that you sent me.”

“Fine. I have not responded to that letter.”

“Responded to which?”

“I do not know whether it would fall to Sir Iain to decide that. I will have to check. I am sorry about that; I should be able to answer the question. There are a number of recommendations, including about the day of remembrance. I think I remember saying that I am definitely open to the idea, but I would want to see wh…”

“There is a specific question that has been raised in respect of Stakeknife and that the Government is currently considering. Given the seriousness of the issue that that raises in respect of “neither confirm nor deny”, it is right that we consider that extremely carefully. We have reassured Operation Kenova that that i…”

“As you just pointed out, it falls to the Home Office to take a decision. I don’t know when they are going to be able to give an answer or what that answer is going to be, but I will just point out that, as I indicated to the Committee earlier, a Guildford pub bombing family has gone to the commission, and the commissio…”

“I met Mr and Mrs Parry recently, together, I think, with Mr Blum and Mr McCue. As you know, the Government have been considering what to do about the Shawcross report, which was commissioned as an internal document by the previous Government. The Government recognises the significant public interest that there is in th…”

“All I can say on that is that I readily agreed to meet Mr and Mrs Parry, and they put precisely that case to me. When we met, I of course took advice, and it has been put to me that there are some differences to do with the nature of the UN resolution. I suspect you know a great deal about this, because of your long-st…”

“I certainly undertake to you, Mr Hoare, and to the Committee that, following the meeting Hamish Falconer will have with the families, I will have a further discussion with him, if that is helpful.”

“Two things have to happen. The first is that the legal text has to be negotiated between the UK and the EU. The second is that our legislative framework has to be brought up to date with the current rules that apply in the European Union, because, to have an SPS agreement, there has to be alignment between the UK and t…”

“Once we get this in place—assuming the negotiations go well, which I hope they will—there will be no need for SPS paperwork, no mandatory physical checks on goods moving from GB to NI, no need for NI plant health labels, an end to the prohibition on so-called high-risk plants, an end to the ban on chilled and frozen me…”

“We have to make sure that we are doing all the checks that are required. Let us take an example: citrus black spot. The EU takes very dim view, understandably, of citrus with black spot coming into Northern Ireland, as it could then potentially move on into the EU. Anyone who has an orange or lemon grove will understan…”

“Very simply, it is because, in the EU’s view, veterinary medicines are a manufactured good, not an agrifood or a plant. That would take you into a whole other area, and that is why they are not part of the negotiation, but I think we have made some real progress on them. If you go back, with the deadline coming up, peo…”