Northern Ireland: Political Developments

Debate between Laurence Robertson and John Bercow

Tuesday 28th March 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. In an attempt to accommodate the extensive interest in this subject, I appeal to colleagues to ask brief questions without long preamble, and to the Secretary of State to offer us characteristically pithy replies.

[Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury) (Con)]

I thank the Secretary of State for supplying an advance copy of his statement, and for engaging with me as Chair of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee regularly during the process.

When people turned out to vote in greater numbers, they expected politicians and not civil servants to run affairs in Northern Ireland. Given the way we are going, could those people be forgiven for becoming disillusioned with the whole process of devolution if we are not careful? Should we not therefore remind all the parties in Northern Ireland that power sharing means working with people they do not like, and accepting decisions that they would not automatically choose? If they do not do that, power sharing will not have a future.

Northern Ireland: Political Developments

Debate between Laurence Robertson and John Bercow

Tuesday 10th January 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. Unsurprisingly, a very significant number of colleagues are seeking to catch my eye. I would like to accommodate most, if not all, of them. My prospects of doing so will be greatly enhanced if colleagues who are customarily addicted to long or multifaceted questions are today able to content themselves with minimal preamble and a simple, pithy inquiry, which I know will enjoy a pithy response from the Secretary of State.

[Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury) (Con)]

I thank the Secretary of State for advance sight of his statement. Given that new elections would probably return the parties more or less in the same numbers as they have now, does he agree that repeated callings of elections will not really address the fundamental issue? Do we not therefore need to look closely at how the institutions are actually constructed and formulated so that we can move away from this constant threat of those institutions collapsing or being collapsed?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Laurence Robertson and John Bercow

Thursday 3rd December 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Paul Farrelly. Not here.

[Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury) (Con)]

9. What progress he has made in reforming the horserace betting levy. [R]

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Laurence Robertson and John Bercow

Monday 8th June 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. At this point I appeal for slightly snappier questions and answers because we have a lot to get through.

[Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury) (Con)]

4. When he expects to complete negotiations on the sale of the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency in Ashchurch; and if he will make a statement.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Laurence Robertson and John Bercow

Thursday 4th June 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I note the ingenuity of the hon. Member for Sherwood (Mark Spencer), but Nottinghamshire is a little distance away from Gloucestershire and Herefordshire.

[Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury) (Con)]

May I support the words of my hon. Friend the Member for Cheltenham (Alex Chalk) and remind the Secretary of State that many rural villages, certainly in my constituency, still do not have sufficiently strong broadband connections? That hampers people who are running small businesses from home, as well as children who are trying to use the internet to learn. What can he do to speed up the provision in those small villages?