Extract from Westminster
Hall debate on Leaving the EU: Funding for Northern
Ireland
Ian Paisley (North Antrim)(DUP): Does the
Minister accept that the debate is all a little bit yesterday,
when we consider the comments by Ray Bassett, a former Republic
of Ireland ambassador and official in the Department of Foreign
Affairs and Trade, and the report by Dr Brian Murphy, Ralf Lissek
and Dr Volker Treier to the German-Irish Chamber of Industry and
Commerce, that Brexit means that Ireland’s two major trading
partners will be outside the EU and that Ireland needs to get
ahead of the game and leave along with the UK?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern
Ireland (Kris Hopkins): I understand the hon.
Gentleman’s comments, but the point of this space—of
parliamentary debate—is that individual parties can express their
concerns and Ministers can understand them and respond
appropriately. We are on a momentous journey, and concerns on
both sides of the debate still need to be addressed and people
need to be comforted. I said earlier that I was a remain
campaigner, and there will be constituents who want to
understand, whether they have a particular interest or it is
about that passion for Europe in the past. So we create this
space and it is important that people have the opportunity...
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Extract from
Westminster Hall debate on Leaving the EU: Animal Welfare
Standards in Farming
Mrs (Chipping Barnet)
(Con):...Finally, I urge the Minister to bring an
end to the export of live animals for slaughter. Everyone present
for the debate will be well aware of the suffering that can be
caused by long-distance transport of live animals. Once exported,
animals can be in transit in crowded and stressful conditions for
protracted periods. As we have heard, enforcement of welfare
rules in Europe is patchy, which means that there is a risk that
animals will suffer from extremes of temperature or be left
without sufficient food, water or rest. We cannot always be
confident even that welfare rules regulating slaughter in the
country of destination will be complied with. Export from
Northern Ireland to south of the border does not raise the same
concerns, because the distances are generally short—it is
essentially local transport, so any future ban should treat
exports to the Republic of Ireland as equivalent
to domestic ones and allow them to continue, as long as there is
not evidence of immediate re-export.
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