Joe O'Reilly (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome our guests and thank them for coming. Their presentations were very clear. Do the witnesses think they should be formally engaged with the dissenting political groupings? I understand the only dissenters to a bill of rights in the North are the DUP and the UUP. Should ICTU have some formal engagement with them to try to break down resistance, given its street cred and mass membership? What is the ICTU evaluation of the resistance? How resistant are they to it? Is there any sense emerging among elements of Unionism that their interests are also at stake? One would have thought some people in Unionism do not see a bill of rights as being in conflict with their interests in the position they are in now. I accept that this Government must become the pusher and must invoke its position and apply the necessary pressure. The committee should encourage that.

Mr. Jack O'Connor mentioned that the recent spate of troubles would not have happened if there had been a bill of rights. That is interesting. Can he be more specific on this point? Would a bill of rights have prevented the position taken on displaying the flags? How would it have prevented the issue from arising, or is it that, over a period of time, it would have created the kind of societal well-being that eliminates trouble?

From this remove, there is no reason it should not progress. Obviously, there is resistance at Unionist level and there will be a need for an initiative by our Government. Perhaps the witnesses can respond to these points.