Debate contribution: Election of Speaker and Deputy Speakers

Debate contribution by Mr Paul Givan on 13 May 2022.

MLA: Mr Paul Givan
Party at the time: Democratic Unionist Party
Date: 13 May 2022
Type: Debate contribution
Business: Speaker's Business
Heading: Election of Speaker and Deputy Speakers
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 4139956

Text

I, too, thank you, Mr Speaker, for your work as Speaker of the Assembly, not only in guiding 90 Members but in advising on private Members' Bills, one of which I had. I wish you well. The class of '98 has been reduced, with, I think, only three Members in the Chamber today who were here all those years ago. In October 2019, at a time when Sinn Féin held Northern Ireland to ransom for three years by refusing to form a Government, the Assembly sought to elect a Speaker. The leader of the SDLP, Colum Eastwood, said then:
"we will not be able to have an Executive, Northern Ireland Assembly or North/South Ministerial Council. It is our clear view — it is the Good Friday Agreement's clear view — that the best way to effect any change to any legislation is to do it within the confines of those structures and that it will not happen as part of a shadow Assembly ... that ... will lead only to the fundamental destruction of the Good Friday Agreement." — [Official Report (Hansard), 21 October 2019, p5, col 2].
The Irish Sea border has fundamentally undermined the Belfast Agreement. It has changed our relationship with the United Kingdom. Not one unionist elected to this Assembly supports the Northern Ireland protocol. We do not consent. The principle of consent is a fundamental cornerstone of the Belfast Agreement, but that is gone as a result of the Northern Ireland protocol. Last September, we outlined the problems and put forward our solutions. We were patient. We have been reasonable. We allowed space for the United Kingdom and the European Union to engage in negotiations and talks, and so the talks went on and on as we continued to be patient. Others in this place acted in a divisive manner and called for the protocol's "rigorous implementation". At a time when we have a cost-of-living crisis, some Members want to drive up the cost of transportation. They want to harm people as a result of the Northern Ireland protocol. We do not, and we put forward pragmatic solutions. The Democratic Unionist Party received a mandate in the Assembly election to remove the Irish Sea border. Our mandate will be given respect. We have engaged this week with the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State. Our message is now clear: it is time for action. Words will no longer suffice. It is because we believe in devolution and we want the stability of these institutions to endure that we are taking the action that we are taking today.
The Member is right in that Northern Ireland works best whenever we work together. Those who now call for majority rule need to recommit themselves, and I challenge Sinn Féin in particular. It needs to recommit itself to the principles of the Belfast Agreement and to power-sharing, because we will not be dictated to; we will be treated with respect and equality. We are committed to devolution. We want these institutions to work, but the Northern Ireland protocol and the Belfast Agreement are incompatible; you cannot have both. Now is the time for action, not for further delay or procrastination. The Democratic Unionist Party's position is resolute. We are determined to succeed in the approach that we are taking, because we want the Executive to be built on solid foundations that will endure and deliver for the people of Northern Ireland.

577 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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