Name: House of Commons
Uploaded: 2026-10-21T10:34:14+00:00

00:17 - 00:22

Speaker 3

Order. We start with questions to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Mr Gregory Campbell.

00:22 - 00:25

Speaker 2

Number one, Mr Speaker.

00:25 - 00:51

Speaker 7

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Ministers and officials are in regular contact with the Department for Transport on dual approvals for passenger vehicles and Northern Ireland's automotive sector. The government remains committed to ensuring vehicle supplies remains as seamless as possible across the whole of the UK. This was shown when the government secured fairness on the tax treatment of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles supporting dealerships and car buyers.

00:51 - 01:29

Speaker 5

I thank the Minister for the reply. Northern Ireland car dealers pay their taxes to the UK Treasury and they must be able to compete on equal terms with dealerships across the rest of the country. At present they can't. Action is needed, not just complaints from others. Will the Secretary of State or the Minister of State meet with representatives of Northern Ireland car dealers, talk to their cabinet colleagues to ensure that cars approved for sale in Great Britain can also be sold new by Northern Ireland dealerships and how soon can this be delivered?

01:29 - 02:00

Speaker 7

I thank the honourable member for that question. We are continuing to engage with Northern Ireland car market representatives as well as the broader UK automotive industry on issues faced by Northern Ireland car dealers. We want to see the sector go from strength to strength and I'm happy to meet with anybody who shares that mission. And I also want to address the fact that he's had a lack of response from a particular letter from the NFDA. I want to ensure that the honourable gentleman will be rectified, this will be rectified by the end of the week and they will get a response.

02:00 - 02:02

Speaker 1

Number two, Mr Speaker.

02:02 - 02:31

Speaker 6

With permission, Mr Speaker, I'll answer questions two and six together. The Northern Ireland Troubles Bill finished its remaining stages in this House yesterday and it will deliver a reformed independent legacy commission with stronger disclosure powers that will be critical for families and victims seeking answers and access to justice. It will also repeal the immunity scheme and lift the bar on civil claims which the previous government's Legacy Act wrongly introduced.

02:31 - 03:15

Speaker 8

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I know my right honourable friend is fully aware of the care we must all take over the language we use when we discuss troubles-related affairs. He may also be aware that the Law Society and the Bar Council has called recent references by some honourable members to supposed IRA lawyers as grossly irresponsible and putting people at risk. Given the tragic history of the murder of lawyers like Pat Finucane and Rosemary Nelson, will he join with me in urging all honourable members to take extreme care over their language and recognise their words can have tragic consequences and also completely undermine the confidence of bereaved families and victims which is essential to ensuring a balanced and credible legacy process?

03:15 - 03:48

Speaker 6

Yes, sir. Well, first of all, I'd say that the legal profession is a noble profession and I think it, if we are to uphold, I'm not sure I've carried the Conservative front bench with that line, but if we are to uphold the rule of law, we also have to make sure that lawyers are protected in their ability to defend people in the criminal justice system.

The idea that everyone is innocent until proven guilty is absolutely fundamental to our system, and that's why I think it behoves all of us to be careful about our language.