Gregory Campbell complains no Irish MPs on Order Paper again for 30 monthly minutes of Northern Ireland questions

The East Derry MP said it was not the first time no Irish member of the British House of Commons from the North had been selected when Northern Ireland Office ministers are required to specifically answer questions about the North for half an hour once a month.

“On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker,” he said on Wednesday, “At Northern Ireland Office questions this morning, there was not a single MP from Northern Ireland on the Order Paper.

"This has happened before. I have no criticism whatsoever of Mr. Speaker [Lindsay Hoyle] who usually succeeds in getting in Northern Ireland MPs on supplementary questions.”

He added: "I understand that the numbers game works against us, but can the arrangements be reviewed? I notice that almost every person listed on the Order Paper for Scotland Office questions next week is a Scottish MP, which is as it should be.

"It would be nice if occasionally we got a Northern Ireland MP on the Order Paper for Northern Ireland Office questions.”

The only Irish person to have a question selected for the Order Paper this week was Dubliner Deirdre Costigan, who is a Labour MP for Ealing Southall.

Nusrat Ghani, the Madam Deputy Speaker, replied that questions are randomly selected from those MPs who have submitted them.

“As he knows, the selection of substantive questions on the Order Paper is the outcome of a random shuffle of the names of Members who table a question, which is conducted by the Table Office.

"Mr. Speaker made sure that a number of Northern Ireland Members were called to ask supplementaries this morning. May I suggest to the hon. Member that he might like to raise this matter with the Modernisation Committee?” she stated.

Earlier Mr. Campbell was one of a number of MPs from the North who were called to ask a supplementary question when the House of Commons had a brief opportunity to hold NIO ministers to account.

He used the opportunity raise the matter of fibre broadband and business innovation with the NIO junior minister Fleur Anderson.

"Across these islands, Northern Ireland is at the forefront for fibre broadband due to our confidence and supply deal with the previous Government. Can the Minister indicate what is being done to promote this golden innovative opportunity nationally, which would help small businesses right across Northern Ireland?” asked Mr. Campbell.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland replied: “This Government are working across the whole of the UK to promote those businesses, and the industrial strategy provides an excellent opportunity to have this discussion.

" The UK Government are working with businesses, trade unions, local and devolved leaders, experts and international partners to develop that international strategy, which will cement this work and growth.

"Eight growth-driving sectors have been identified, including some that my hon. Friend the Member for Warwick and Leamington (Matt Western) has already identified—advanced manufacturing, clean energy industries, creative industries and so on. The transition to net zero also provides huge opportunities, and we will make the most of them.”

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