"My Lords, as the daughter of a police officer who was the subject of an attempted murder attack by the IRA when I was a child, and as the wife of a retired police officer, I was absolutely appalled and dismayed when I heard the news that the killers of …..." Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee - View Speech
"I hear what the Minister has said about AI and I presume that it now sits within the department for business. Given that the Minister wears another hat, which I very much hope she continues to wear in Northern Ireland, will she meet me, because we do not have an …..." Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee - View Speech
"My Lords, I very much welcome that AI growth zones have been designated across the UK, although not in Northern Ireland. I am sure that the Minister agrees that that is disappointing. If His Majesty’s Government are looking at backing British capability, surely there should be resilience in Northern Ireland …..." Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee - View Speech
"First, I welcome this Statement, which this House has been waiting on for some time, and share my concerns about the funding, which I hope will be sorted out under new leadership. However, I welcome the fact that there is an emphasis on innovation and supporting small businesses, and I …..." Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee - View Speech
"My Lords, I do not want to delay the House for very long. I will just add my voice to Amendment 1, which I added my name to. The Government are very clearly warning about hostile state activity. Therefore, the probing amendment gives the Government and the Minister the opportunity …..." Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee - View Speech
"The Minister has made reference to sustainable peace agreements. I am very pleased to come from an area where we have a sustainable peace agreement, but one which has to be worked on continuously. Have the Minister or the Government given any thought to using the example of Northern Ireland …..." Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee - View Speech
"My Lords, I declare my interest as chair of InterTrade UK, which is beginning a piece of research on ports and connectivity between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. We believe this is an important piece of work, given what has happened in terms of the Windsor Framework.
"My Lords, as a former Economy Minister in Northern Ireland, I know too well the importance of the agri-food sector to Northern Ireland. It is a key economic driver. We have a population of just 1.9 million, but we provide almost £10 billion-worth of food across the UK. Given that, …..." Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee - View Speech
"I thank the Minister for indicating that there may be further banking hubs in Northern Ireland. Rurality is a big issue in Northern Ireland. When we tried to attain a banking hub in my local town, the answer that came back was that there were not enough customers, but that …..." Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee - View Speech