Speeches by Swann.

“There were specific parties that she criticised, rather than the overall working of the entire Executive, so I would add a note of caution about picking out certain parts of that report. I want to take you back to the answer you gave to Ms Hanna with regard to Northern Ireland’s £1.97 billion underspend. You said it wa…”

“Secretary of State, I think you should look at all of Baroness Hallett’s comments with regard to the functionality of the Executive during the pandemic, because she did pick out good examples of working as well.”

“First, may I join the commemoration of Jeane Freeman, having served with her during her period as Scottish Health Secretary? The question I asked was actually about whether the Secretary of State for Scotland had met the Scottish Veterans Commissioner in respect of the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill. That legislation w…”

“2. What discussions he has had with the Scottish Veterans Commissioner on the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill.”

“I thank the Minister for meeting me to discuss the concerns raised by the voluntary community sector in Northern Ireland about how the fund will be split between capital and revenue. We are now looking at a fund that is more capital-heavy than revenue-heavy, and the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young …”

“4. What plans he has for the delivery of the local growth fund in Northern Ireland.”

“Baroness Foster, you mentioned the appointment of your board, which is a very influential, well-informed Northern Ireland-centric board. Has the Secretary of State ever asked you to look at bringing in someone from GB to strengthen those relationships? The title of the board is Intertrade UK, but it is a very Northern …”

“Where do you see the failure with regard to that? I think specifically of the UK shared prosperity fund, which you raised—I know, Chair, that the Committee has looked at that. When you looked at Government announcements about that, they say they have been working in partnership—in collaboration—with the Northern Irelan…”

“On the one-stop shop approach, a number of organisations and representative bodies—you mentioned pharma and all the rest of it—have similar fears about working not just north-south but east-west. Is there enough co-ordination between those organisations to make sure we get the real benefit and it is not just an all-isl…”

“I think that the east-west balance would be useful as well, Colin, to show what is going east-west and west-east, so that we get a rounder picture.”

“You mentioned being solutions-focused and meeting the RHA and FSB, two organisations that have been very proactive and engaged in looking for solutions. Have they expressed to you that the NIO or even the Government are not listening to their concerns, and therefore they have to come to you almost as an intermediary to…”

“In previous answers, you have touched on the complexities that flow out of the Windsor framework. It is an ever-moving feast, with additional bureaucracy and checks being brought in. Has your role as a body been to keep that information and engage with businesses to make them aware of those complexities? I am trying to…”

“Compared with the funding of InterTradeIreland, that is completely off-kilter. Was that financial allocation given by the NIO and the Secretary of State, or was a business case put forward for your work? Your work programme is very forward-thinking and very involved, and I just do not see the match between what you are…”

“Baroness Foster, you said that the £2.25 million is for the coming financial year—”

“Baroness Foster, you mentioned the appointment of your board, which is a very influential, well-informed Northern Ireland-centric board. Has the Secretary of State ever asked you to look at bringing in someone from GB to strengthen those relationships? The title of the board is Intertrade UK, but it is a very Northern …”

“Baroness Foster, you said that the £2.25 million is for the coming financial year—”

“Where do you see the failure with regard to that? I think specifically of the UK shared prosperity fund, which you raised—I know, Chair, that the Committee has looked at that. When you looked at Government announcements about that, they say they have been working in partnership—in collaboration—with the Northern Irelan…”

“On the one-stop shop approach, a number of organisations and representative bodies—you mentioned pharma and all the rest of it—have similar fears about working not just north-south but east-west. Is there enough co-ordination between those organisations to make sure we get the real benefit and it is not just an all-isl…”

“I think that the east-west balance would be useful as well, Colin, to show what is going east-west and west-east, so that we get a rounder picture.”

“You mentioned being solutions-focused and meeting the RHA and FSB, two organisations that have been very proactive and engaged in looking for solutions. Have they expressed to you that the NIO or even the Government are not listening to their concerns, and therefore they have to come to you almost as an intermediary to…”