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Wednesday Volume 597 24 June 2015 No. 22 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Wednesday 24 June 2015 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2015 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 867 24 JUNE 2015 868 why we need to press ahead with the welfare provisions House of Commons and the sustainable budget. It would be a huge setback for Northern Ireland to lose the rest of the Stormont Wednesday 24 June 2015 House agreement, including the valuable funding for shared and integrated education. The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock Andrew Stephenson: Does my right hon. Friend agree PRAYERS that the implementation of the Stormont House agreement is the only way to get things back on track in Northern Ireland, and that the Government should continue to [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] do all they can to achieve that? Mrs Villiers: I do agree. We are working hard and the Oral Answers to Questions Executive are making a degree of progress with a number of their obligations under the agreement, but it is vital that welfare reform, which was agreed in Stormont NORTHERN IRELAND Castle and Stormont House, is implemented. It is a good deal for Northern Ireland. The reformed system The Secretary of State was asked— provides real help for vulnerable people and rewards work. It is a better system than the one it replaces. Stormont House Agreement Under Stormont Castle, the five political parties agreed top-ups from the block grant that would give Northern 1. Andrew Gwynne (Denton and Reddish) (Lab): Ireland the most generous welfare system in the United What recent progress has been made on Kingdom. implementation of the Stormont House Agreement; and if she will make a statement. [900425] Suella Fernandes: As has been mentioned, the Stormont House agreement contained a financial package of up 4. Andrew Stephenson (Pendle) (Con): What progress to £2 billion of additional spending power for the has been made on implementation of the Stormont Northern Ireland Executive. Does my right hon. Friend House Agreement. [900428] agree that that represented a substantial commitment by the Government to Northern Ireland which, should 11. Suella Fernandes (Fareham) (Con): What the agreement not be implemented, could be in jeopardy? progress has been made on implementation of the Stormont House Agreement. [900435] Mrs Villiers: It would indeed be in jeopardy, which is The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Mrs Theresa one of the main reasons why it is very important for the Villiers): With permission, Mr Speaker, I will first offer Northern Ireland Executive to pass a budget that works. my condolences, and those of my colleagues in the That will be impossible without the implementation of Government, in relation to the tragedy that occurred in the welfare provisions. It is incumbent on every Berkeley which took the lives of five Irish students. The Administration worldwide to live within their means. pain of that loss is felt across the UK and Ireland. The consequences of denying the deficit and spending The Government are making progress on their obligations money without regard to the consequences are extremely under the Stormont House agreement. We have legislated negative for front-line public services, which is why for corporation tax devolution and we expect to introduce getting the Stormont House agreement back on track is a Bill soon on new structures on the past. I urge the essential if we are to continue to ensure public service Northern Ireland political parties to deliver on their provision is of high quality in Northern Ireland and side of the agreement, including welfare reform and vulnerable groups are protected. passing a sustainable budget. Mr Nigel Dodds (Belfast North) (DUP): Everyone in Andrew Gwynne: I would like to associate myself with Northern Ireland and further afield agrees that the the Secretary of State’s comments. reason the Stormont House agreement is not being Many young people in Northern Ireland have been implemented is the failure of Sinn Féin and the Social given the opportunity to build a shared and integrated Democratic and Labour party to live up to what they future through educational programmes for which there agreed back in December, and to implement what they are substantial resources under the Stormont House agreed and signed up to. Will the Secretary of State agreement. Now that a waiting game is being played as accept that this is now costing Northern Ireland £2 million the parties in Stormont must agree on other matters, a week in terms of loss to the block grant? That is will the Secretary of State update the House on the hitting vulnerable people, and imposing austerity and status of those initiatives? greater cuts, which those parties claim to be against. Does she accept that she must live up to her responsibilities Mrs Villiers: An important part of the financial and take action to ensure the agreement is implemented? package offered by the UK Government under the Stormont House agreement includes £500 million to Mrs Villiers: I agree that every day welfare reform is support shared and integrated education as a crucial delayed and every day Sinn Féin and SDLP refuse to means of building reconciliation in Northern Ireland. live up to their obligations under the Stormont House The financial package is of course contingent on the agreement costs the Northern Ireland Executive money. Stormont House agreement being implemented. The If the situation is not resolved soon, we will start to see UK Government think this is one of the main reasons a significant negative impact on Northern Ireland’s 869 Oral Answers24 JUNE 2015 Oral Answers 870 front-line services, because it will not have a sustainable with regard to the Stormont House agreement? Are or workable budget without Sinn Féin and SDLP living they active participants for peace and progress, or are up to the commitments they undertook as part of the they neutral observers? Stormont House agreement. I will continue to work to see that welfare reform is agreed and implemented, and Mrs Villiers: We are active participants for peace and the Government will consider all the options. progress. That is why we are fully engaged on our side of the Stormont House agreement and in encouraging the parties to live up to theirs. Obviously, a crucial part of Mr Dodds: Given that we are now into the period the agreement is progress on dealing with the legacy of running up to 12 July and beyond, does the Secretary of the past. That is another reason why I appeal to the State accept that enormous efforts were made last year hon. Gentleman and his party colleagues to unblock by community leaders and political parties to ensure the questions about welfare so that we can press ahead peace and calm on the streets of Belfast and elsewhere? with those institutions that his party championed during Since then, she has abandoned the only initiative that the Stormont House talks. was in the offing to move things forward, and has not come up with an alternative. Will she undertake to look Mr Ivan Lewis (Bury South) (Lab): Can the Secretary at the parades legislation? She has the responsibility for of State confirm that in the event of the Stormont parading issues—it is not devolved—so will she come House and Stormont Castle agreements being implemented, forward with proposals to move the situation forward the Northern Ireland Executive will operate a far more and find a replacement for the current failed regime? compassionate and generous benefit system than is available in the rest of the United Kingdom? Mrs Villiers: The best way to take forward reform of parades adjudication is, of course, through the Stormont Mrs Villiers: I believe that the welfare reforms introduced House agreement. I understand that the Office of the by this Government are the best ones for the whole of Legislative Counsel has been preparing the options for the United Kingdom. I believe it is crucial to replace a which it was tasked, under the agreement, for reform of system that has failed and trapped people in poverty parades legislation. I hope that they will be published with one that rewards work and caps benefits. I believe soon. Alongside others, I will take part in the debate that the top-ups agreed by the Northern Ireland parties about what a reformed system of parading would look at the Stormont Castle agreement produce a useful and like and how it would work. In the meantime, it is helpful addition to match specific local circumstances. crucial for us all to work together to encourage a peaceful parading season, where determinations are Mr Lewis: Although we disagree with the Government obeyed and any protests and parades are both peaceful on the bedroom tax and on their refusal to come clean and lawful. on future benefit cuts, the Secretary of State is right to insist that these agreements are honoured without extra money from the Treasury. In the past, Northern Ireland’s Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury) (Con): With leaders have earned great respect for making tough regard to setting the budget and many other decisions choices for peace. Does she agree that all parties must that need to be taken, is not the fundamental problem now accept that an affordable and sustainable welfare that the Assembly and the Executive were designed for system is vital to securing financial and political stability the very good reason of bringing people together, but in Northern Ireland? that that does not make for an efficient decision-making body? What thought has the Secretary of State given to Mrs Villiers: I thank the hon.