Did you mean alleged (speaker:25849 OR speaker:Stephen Farry)?
Stephen Farry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing independent oversight of the review by NatWest into allegations of mis-selling of fixed rate hedging products by Ulster Bank.
Stephen Farry: I noted the Minister’s claim that the Government had engaged with various victims groups on a private basis. Indeed, there have been media reports that some, allegedly, said something privately that was different from what they have said in public. We all know the main victims groups in Northern Ireland, as do the Government. All of them have made their opposition to these proposals clear...
Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to the Israeli Government on reports of the Israeli Army allegedly seizing EU humanitarian aid intended for the Palestinian community of Humsa Al Bqai'a in the Jordan Valley.
Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies on the regulation of the sport of boxing of the allegations made in the BBC's Panorama programme on the role of Daniel Kinahan in that sport, broadcast on 1 February 2021.
Stephen Farry: ...the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that professional boxing in the UK or associated with the UK is not influenced by people alleged to be involved in organised crime.
Stephen Farry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has received on allegations of fraud connected to overseas investments; and what steps he is taking to safeguard the interests of UK investors involved in investment scams (a) overseas and (b) in unregulated areas.
Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what reports he has received on allegations of police violence towards protestors in the Lekki suburb of Lagos on 20 October 2020; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of implementing sanctions against the Nigerian Government and officials if they are found to be involved in human rights abuses.
Stephen Farry: ...to stress that the request for Arlene Foster to step aside was only one part of this, but it is not an unreasonable request. In any other walk of life, someone who comes under a sustained range of allegations — I stress the word "allegations" — would be expected to go off on what we often call "gardening leave". Clearly, we are moving more towards a consensus on a public inquiry. The...
Stephen Farry: .... That is how we protect ourselves against challenge. Frankly, if we were to start changing things midstream, then we would open a Pandora's box of people coming in with all sorts of claims and allegations against the Department. I think we have held the line well in that regard. When we took a decision to have flexibility in the further submission of management accounts, that was done...
Stephen Farry: ...not be wanting in doing its duty under its responsibilities under the Northern Ireland Act and in ensuring that we have integrity in these institutions. We have history in this because we brought allegations and charges against various parties during the multi-party talks leading up to the Good Friday Agreement.
Stephen Farry: ...DUP around some of their antics in relation to associations with the Drumcree protests in 1997 and how that undermined the integrity of the talks as well. I am rather afraid that it is not just allegations against parties connected to paramilitaries: there are others who have been in breach of their duties around the Mitchell principles and the subsequent principles that we are guided...
Stephen Farry: ...in the local economy. In addition, there is a danger of the unintended consequence of claims that would otherwise have been dealt with as unfair dismissal cases simply being transformed into alleged discrimination cases, which can be more complex and costly to address. Given that a change to unfair dismissals may have a limited practical impact, some may say that the case for Northern...
Stephen Farry: ...is the potential for unintended consequences in Northern Ireland. In particular, we have much stronger anti-discrimination measures. We also have a culture of more people taking cases based on alleged discrimination. We need to be wary of a situation in which potential claimants would simply find a way around an extension of unfair dismissal and take a greater number of...
Stephen Farry: ...in the local economy. In addition, given our particularly strong equality protections, there is a danger that claims that would otherwise have been for unfair dismissal will simply be taken as alleged discrimination cases, which can be more complex and costly. As a change with regard to unfair dismissals may have limited practical impact, some may say that the case for Northern Ireland...
Stephen Farry: ...that parties are unwilling to seek redress of one aspect of their grievance — for example, unfair dismissal — via arbitration and then have to pursue the remaining elements — for example, allegations of unlawful discrimination — through a tribunal. That situation has proven to be a significant obstacle to the delivery of arbitration as an effective alternative to tribunals. Indeed,...
Stephen Farry: ...they have been probed in the debate, we will all be more than happy to return to those issues in the future. Amendment No 33 relates to the issue of money coming back from assets recovery and the alleged super-discretion that goes to the Minister of Justice. It is worth stressing that the dangers that Members identified in the expenditure of money are no different than with any expenditure...
Stephen Farry: .... We have had more progress on cohesion, sharing and integration over the past year than we have ever had during any previous mandate, including when the Ulster Unionist Party and the SDLP were allegedly running this place. As for any carve-up, we have been clear that this Budget was negotiated by five parties, including the SDLP. That party cannot point the finger at the Executive because...
Stephen Farry: ...address long-running problems in society, rather than striking out and doing what we think is appropriate and sending out the right signals. The only other point that I want to make concerns the alleged economic costs. We should turn this on its head and recognise that there are economic benefits to be derived from biodiversity and conservation in society. Doing something about...
Stephen Farry: ...we are debating. Equally, Sinn Féin has created its own hierarchy of victims. If we look back at the comments that have been made, we can see that the lion’s share have been about victims of alleged so-called state collusion with regard to what must happen to secure truth and justice for the future. There is a situation in which 3,000-plus people lost their lives and countless others...
Stephen Farry: The Member referred to the stance taken by Henry Dunleath. Does the Member agree that Lord Dunleath’s background gives the lie to the allegation that hare coursing is a town versus country issue, in that some people with a country perspective are strong on conservation?