Speeches by Eastwood.

“I think that we can all agree that the work done by the community and voluntary sector across the north is invaluable. Celine, you will know that it is a frustration of mine also that we hear about co-design and co‑production, and then, when the rubber hits the road, you guys often are not at the centre of these decisi…”

“I thank the Secretary of State and the Minister for their responses so far. One response highlighted Northern Ireland as having dual market access. On that basis, do they agree that initiatives such as the Dublin-Belfast economic corridor in my constituency need support so that we can make the most of our economic oppo…”

“I am so grateful to the right hon. Member for giving way and indulging me. I simply want to add to his conclusion. These women have been part of a generation of women who have been discriminated against by statutory provisions over their lifetimes—whether by the reprehensible marriage bar, the gender pay gap or now thi…”

“Will the right hon. Member give way?”

“Do you have any views on that?”

“They have not worked a lot, Ann, to be fair, in the past.”

“Do you have any views on that?”

“I think that we can all agree that the work done by the community and voluntary sector across the north is invaluable. Celine, you will know that it is a frustration of mine also that we hear about co-design and co‑production, and then, when the rubber hits the road, you guys often are not at the centre of these decisi…”

“They have not worked a lot, Ann, to be fair, in the past.”

“I thank the hon. Member for Wimbledon (Mr Kohler) for bringing this matter to the House. I also pay tribute to the hon. Member for Spen Valley (Kim Leadbeater) for how she has conducted the debate on assisted dying, which we have all talked about so much and which most hon. Members have mentioned today. Regardless of p…”

“I thank the hon. Member for his contribution and of course I will join him in that. In closing, I want us to keep talking about living and dying well because we cannot shy away from that debate. We owe it to our constituents, not just mine in Lagan Valley but those across the UK, to ensure that we get this right.”

“I just want to take a moment, because I found it incredibly distressing to sit and listen to the brilliant remarks from the hon. Member for Lowestoft (Jess Asato). Why would I find that upsetting? I find that upsetting because I am a survivor of abuse myself. Northern Ireland is one of the most dangerous places in Euro…”

“Thank you, Chair, for that indulgence. On that point, I was listening to Sir Robert, and one thing in my mind at the minute in terms of health is that we have a situation where people are blocking—I hate that word—the flow of leaving hospitals, because we do not have enough people working in domiciliary care. When I pr…”

“I thank the hon. Member for bringing this matter to the House today. Many people will know my own personal story, and that my husband has cancer. One thing we have found on this journey is the number of young people who are currently in hospital beds across Northern Ireland and every other part of the UK. Many of those…”

“This is at the crux of what we are trying to get at. Transformation is going to be key in terms of Northern Ireland public finance. One of my great bugbears is procurement. I know that the Public Accounts Committee and the Northern Ireland Assembly considered the Northern Ireland Audit Office’s 2023 report on Northern …”

“May I make one small observation, Chair?”

“I agree with the point that the hon. Member has just made. Does he agree that businesses are facing not just a cost of living crisis, but a cost of doing business crisis? In my constituency, a restaurant called Huxo, which only opened a year ago, has unfortunately had to close—he referenced that issue in his own consti…”

“I thank the hon. Member for bringing forward this issue. I agree with him completely in so far as violence against women and girls in Northern Ireland is at crisis levels. It is one of the most dangerous places in Europe to be a woman, and we have women and girls who have lost their lives already this year to violence.…”

“I stand here today on behalf of my many constituents who will feel utterly betrayed by this decision. Just months ago, people were promised a fresh start—a new change. Does the Secretary of State agree that not only will my constituents feel short-changed, but this decision will further compound a lack of trust in poli…”

“I am proud to have tabled several amendments to the Bill to support people in Northern Ireland and, indeed, the organisations that lobbied me to do so. Amendments 10, 11 and 12 seek to protect Northern Ireland’s healthcare, social care, childcare, hospices, and community and voluntary sectors from the impacts of the pr…”