Mr Roger Stott: First, I apologise to the House for my absence during most of the debate, but my party's Whips saw fit to put me on several Committees considering statutory instruments today, so I have been like a yo-yo, in and out of the Chamber in the fulfilment of my other functions. As the House will know, for a long time I was Opposition spokesman on Northern Ireland. I spent much time there, and still...
Mr Roger Stott: May I congratulate my right hon. Friend on his efforts to promote business and employment opportunities in Northern Ireland? Can he give any figures on the number of young people in Northern Ireland who are taking advantage of Labour's new deal?
Mr Roger Stott: What recent meetings she has had with the Irish Government concerning the implementation of the Good Friday agreement. [71198]
Mr Roger Stott: When my right hon. Friend met the Taoiseach on 3 February, clearly, a lot of serious and difficult issues still had to be resolved in the full implementation of the Good Friday agreement. What progress has been made on the implementation of the north-south bodies, which are clearly an important element in the agreement?
Mr Roger Stott: I agree with the right hon. Member for Upper Bann (Mr. Trimble) about the inclusion of disabled people on the Equality Commission. My hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow, Maryhill (Mrs. Fyfe) also mentioned that. It would be intolerable if the new commission did not contain representatives of the disabled. I have a brief question. Clause 60 lists the commissions that will be incorporated in...
Mr Roger Stott: My right hon. Friend is replying to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, Garston (Maria Eagle) about the civic forum. I am a member of the British-Irish interparliamentary body, a forum set up a number of years ago. How does my right hon. Friend see our future role, as British parliamentarians and Members of the Dail Eireann try to foster good relationships between the...
Mr Roger Stott: Will the hon. Gentleman give way?
Mr Roger Stott: rose—
Mr Roger Stott: It is normal to preface a question, "Is my right hon. Friend aware". May I turn that round to say that my right hon. Friend is probably not aware that I spent the week leading up to the referendum in Northern Ireland in Derry, knocking on doors and persuading people to vote yes to the agreement? That agreement has been solidified by the votes of the people in both the north and the south of...
Mr Roger Stott: I regret to admonish my hon. Friend, but I hope that he will reconsider his remarks to the hon. Member for Macclesfield (Mr. Winterton), who asked about settlements and the Israeli Government's position. The hon. Gentleman represented the view of the House of Commons. Will my hon. Friend reconsider his words about intransigence? Most hon. Members believe as the hon. Gentleman believes.
Mr Roger Stott: As someone who did not insult the hon. and learned Gentleman from a sedentary position, I am grateful to him for giving way. He is a democratically elected Member of the British Parliament and he makes his points on the Floor of the ancient House of Commons, which he has every right to do. I told him in a private conversation that I was disappointed with him. He is a formidable advocate and...
Mr Roger Stott: By Labour.
Mr Roger Stott: My hon. Friends the Members for Newry and Armagh (Mr. Mallon) and for Walsall, North (Mr. Winnick) and I have been members of the British-Irish inter-parliamentary body for a number of years. It has made remarkable progress in understanding our positions both on the island of Ireland and on Great Britain. There are two empty chairs and those chairs have not been filled by our Unionist...
Mr Roger Stott: I am sorry to be pedantic, as my hon. Friend may think, but as we are reaching the new millennium, there should not be much slack marking in the draftsmanship of the Bill. Clause 1(2)(b) states that the Secretary of State may refer to the assembly such other matters as he thinks fit. It is palpable that the Secretary of State is not a he, but a she. I do not know why we continue to use the...
Mr Roger Stott: I support the comments of my hon. Friend the Member for Newry and Armagh (Mr. Mallon). This business has been going on for an awfully long time—I am thinking particularly of the negotiations and discussions of the past two years—and an agreement was reached on Good Friday this year. That agreement lightened the hearts of everyone, both in Great Britain and Northern Ireland and in the...
Mr Roger Stott: I heard what the hon. and learned Member for North Down (Mr. McCartney) said earlier. We have gone through this process for a long time, and we now have an agreement between the Irish and British Governments and the leadership of the Unionist party and the Social Democratic and Labour party about how to move forward. I never thought that that would happen in my lifetime, having spent so much...
Mr Roger Stott: My hon. Friend the Minister has been part of the team trying to get a solution to the problem. He will be aware that there are splinter elements within Northern Ireland which do not want to see a solution to the problem, as evidenced in Londonderry last night. Will my hon. Friend join me in congratulating the Royal Ulster Constabulary and, particularly of late, the Garda Siochana, on their...
Mr Roger Stott: Will the hon. Gentleman give way?
Mr Roger Stott: For years, the hon. Gentleman has worn a Transport and General Workers Union tie. He has been proclaiming his membership of that union ever since he came to the House. If a group of people in a workplace wanted to join the TGWU but were prevented from doing so, what would he do about it?
Mr Roger Stott: As I understand it, the Government do not intend to change legislation with regard to balloting trade unions on industrial action, or to change the law on secondary picketing, and they do not intend to change other industrial legislation that was passed by the previous Government. All we are saying is that it is a requirement of our Government to give people in the workplace the legal right...
