Speeches by Wilson.

“We asked the other panel this question. Do you see how new technology can help to improve the outcomes from the activities of your industries?”

“Despite the appalling abuse of the hostages who were released and the propaganda value made of them, in 42 days the Israeli Government have allowed 25,200 truckloads of aid into Gaza, which is enough to sustain the entire population for four months.”

“It is a fact. The concern is that Hamas are now using aid as their major source of income and are seeking to control the billion-dollar aid industry there now is in Gaza. What assurances can the Minister give that UK aid will not be used to sustain that terrorist organisation or to control the local population?”

“rose—”

“The hon. and learned Member talks about that trade being infinitesimal—0.4% of EU trade crosses that border, yet it accounts for 20% of checks. Does he agree that that will not be the story of the future? In my constituency, we are already building a £140 million EU control post on a 10-acre site. Once that is open, th…”

“You shouldn’t encourage him, Madam Deputy Speaker—he will take to 7.30 pm and beyond, because this is such an important subject. Does the hon. and learned Gentleman agree that the diversion of trade has not only political but economic implications for Northern Ireland? There are increased transport costs, because lorri…”

“The Secretary of State says that the situation is unprecedented, and that unique arrangements have therefore been put in place. The Government recently recognised that the flow of trade from the Irish Republic through Northern Ireland into GB could cause a situation where goods had to be checked to safeguard the GB mar…”

“May I, too, on behalf of my party, congratulate the Prime Minister on the work he has done this week, both in America and here in the United Kingdom. He has made a commitment to providing support to Ukraine to defend any peace agreement, but given the state of our armed forces and how overstretched they are, how sure i…”

“Would different EU targets or goals have implications for you, because you would be looking at, “Here is an EU target or goal; here is a UK target or goal”?”

“If there is regulatory divergence between the rest of the UK and Northern Ireland—I imagine that that will happen over time—does that complicate your work? Do you see where it may complicate your work?”

“Yes.”

“We do know that there is a capacity issue, because we read stories in the paper all the time in which waste is collected, it is sorted and then there is no market for it and it ends up being dumped, shipped abroad or whatever. You made a comment earlier about missing targets. Do you see a danger in setting targets that…”

“I want to concentrate on the area of the circular economy. One of the things your report said was that the Government were being far too slow in developing a strategy. Have you identified any particular reasons why? Is it because of the capacity for dealing with some of the waste? Is it because of fears of what the cos…”

“Many projects that are designed to improve public services are being held up in the courts in Northern Ireland because of procurement, planning and the decision process. The latest ruse being used to hold up projects is the claim that they do not comply with the Government’s net zero policies and will lead to an increa…”

“You mentioned that you would be doing a separate report on Northern Ireland. Obviously we have a unique situation in Northern Ireland: because we remain in the single market, we are still subject to single market rules. That means that there are a lot of environmental rules, especially in respect of manufacturing and a…”

“That was my next question, really. What do you believe needs to be done to address the monitoring gaps in relation to chemicals? How big a problem do you see this being, particularly when it comes to PFAS?”

“Are there any areas in which you believe that priority should be given? When I think of the context of Northern Ireland, the Executive came to a conclusion: “Look, let’s not set unrealistic goals. Let’s look for four sectors or four areas of waste and concentrate on those.” Are there any priorities that you feel the UK…”

“Target setting, yes.”

“You have identified a need for a UK policy and regulatory framework for chemicals. Are there specific areas or specific issues that have arisen that brought you to that conclusion? Secondly, if there are, what should be the focus as a priority for the Government?”

“Many ministerial decisions are important in getting public services delivered, but so too is back-up by the civil service. There is some concern about the level of expertise in the civil service in Northern Ireland. In the inquiry into the renewable heat incentive, the permanent secretary admitted that the civil servic…”